Zambia Asks Copper Miners to Curb Power Use Amid Shortage
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Zesco Ltd., Zambia’s state-owned electricity utility, has asked mining companies in Africa’s second-biggest copper producer to cut power usage amid a shortage caused by low dam levels, spokesman Bestty Phiri said.
Phiri couldn’t immediately comment on how much Zesco has asked companies to curb usage by, he said in a response to a text message. Zesco, which has a generating capacity of about 2,200 megawatts, has a 560-megawatt shortfall, it said in a statement published in the Zambia Daily Mail. Zambia produces more than 90 percent of its electricity from hydropower, and low rainfall has caused water levels to drop.