WITH consistent power supply to the mines, Zambia Chamber of Mines (ZCM) envisages annual copper production to go to around 850,000 metric tonnes this year.
ZCM chief executive officer Sokwani Chilembo said the mining sector is poised to meet its 2019 production estimates as a result of maintained electricity supply to the mines amidst daily eight-hour countrywide load-shedding.
Mr Chilembo said if the mines were to be included in the load-shedding schedule, copper production would drop to 700, 000 tonnes this year – that would have been too huge a reduction.