The government has declared that the Gresik Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in East Java is officially operational. Determination of its operation through the Decree of the Chairman of the National Council of KEK Number 1 of 2022 on November 8, 2022. Apart from that, it was also marked by the handing over of the Decree and the Official Certificate of Operation by the Deputy for Coordination of Regional Development and Spatial Planning of the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy Wahyu Utomo and Plt. Secretary General of the SEZ National Council Elen Setiadi, Sunday (20/11/2022). Having main activities in the metal (smelter), electronics, chemical, energy and logistics industries, SEZ Gresik is projected to become a new economic center for East Java Province. Plt. Elen Setiadi, Secretary General of the National SEZ Council, said that every SEZ that is determined through a Government Regulation must be declared operational for a maximum of 3 years. But for SEZ Gresik within 1 year it can be determined. "The results of the field verification show that it has met the operating standards. It is hoped that the Gresik SEZ will continue to be progressive and be able to meet its targets," he said as quoted from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs' website.
SEZ Gresik has been declared ready to operate according to the evaluation results carried out by the Deputy Governor of East Java together with the Secretariat General of the SEZ National Council, and Members of the SEZ Regional Council of East Java Province. Some of the aspects that become material in the evaluation include facilities and infrastructure, institutions and human resources, as well as administrative control devices. With the operation of the Gresik SEZ, it is hoped that it will also have a positive impact on Business Entities (BU) and Business Actors (PU), in the form of ultimate facility utilization rights and convenience which are the peculiarities of SEZ. The fiscal facilities that can be utilized include tax holidays, tax allowances, import duty-free, and others. Meanwhile, non-fiscal facilities can be in the form of facilities in the fields of employment, land, immigration, environmental convenience, as well as integrated infrastructure support. "Step 1 has been determined, step 2 has been operational, then step 3 which is the main and important thing is to fill the area," he added. With the superiority of the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) for the population, East Java, which is the location of the Gresik SEZ, is Indonesia's economic hub, and of course the role of the SEZ in it is very large. "The condition of the surrounding population is large, Gresik SEZ is expected to be the foundation for employment," concluded Elen Setiadi. The SEZ, which is built on an area of 2,167 hectares, is expected to contribute to the national economy through the achievement of several targets. Such as investment realization of US$6.7 billion, increase in export value reaching US$12.7 billion per year, import substitution reaching US$9.05 billion ultimately after full operation, and employment in the first five years of 42,000 people . In addition, SEZ Gresik is also expected to be able to increase HR capacity through the development of technology curriculum-based Vocational Education Institutions at both the secondary (SMK) and tertiary levels. For information, SEZ Gresik also has an anchor investor, namely PT Freeport Indonesia. The presence of PT Freeport Indonesia, whose groundbreaking was carried out last October 2021 by President Joko Widodo, is expected to be an attraction for various other industries and copper derivative industries to invest in SEZ Gresik.
