UPDATE 1-Zambia copper mine hit by power blackout
* Power firm says normal supply to mines resume
* Unclear how other copper producers were affected
(Adds details)
By Shapi Shacinda
LUSAKA, June 17 (Reuters) - Australian Equinox Minerals Ltd.'s (EQN.TO)(EQN.AX) Zambian mining unit said on Wednesday it lost $1.8 million in revenue equivalent to 500 tonnes in copper production during a national power blackout.
Zambia, Africa's top copper producer, was plunged into darkness on Monday night after a transformer on the national power grid was gutted by fire, prompting the state power utility Zesco Ltd. to immediately start importing power from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Equinox's unit Lumwana Mining Ltd. said its operations were affected for 18 hours, during which production was suspended.
"For us the loss in revenue is $1.8 million (equivalent to) 500 tonnes of copper," Lumwana's chief executive officer Harry Michael told Reuters by telephone from Solwezi, more than 700 km northwest of Lusaka.
"We have now resumed operations after we suspended production for 18 hours. Of course we had to switch off everything but we have returned to normal (production)."
Michael said Lumwana mine, which plans to produce 170,000 tonnes copper metal in 2009 resumed production on Tuesday.
The Copperbelt Energy Company (CEC), the sole power distributor to the mines said on Tuesday it had resumed normal power supply to the mines.
"Normal supply has resumed and the mines are now picking up loads of power," said CEC chairman Hanson Sindowe.
At their peak, the mines were consuming 560 megawatts of power, but this has declined to just above 400 MW, after some operations shutdown or trimmed production in the wake of the global economic crisis, Sindowe said.
It was still unclear how other producers had been affected.
Zambia's Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), which plans to more than double output to 305,000 tonnes of copper cathode in 2009, said it would issue a statement on any impact of the blackout.
London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc (VED.L), Canada's First Quantum Minerals (FM.TO) and Glencore International AG [GLEN.L] also operate copper mines in Zambia, which are the country's economic lifeblood.
(Shapi Shacinda on tel +260 97784 3609/+260 95577 9523))
