Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Mopani Copper Mines
Mopani Copper Mines has announced plans to curtail some of its operations which might affect about 4,700 direct jobs.
In a statement obtained by Q-news, Company Public Relations Nebert Mulenga says it has become necessary for Mopani Copper Mines to curtail some areas of its operations due to the restriction of power by Copperbelt Energy Company.
Mr. Mulenga says the decision has been necessitated by the unilateral action by CEC to restrict power supply without notice and against the provisions of the Power Supply Agreement.
He explains that the mining firm is operating under a Power Supply Agreement dated the 31st March 2000, which was most recently amended on 6th March, 2015, and is valid until 2040.
He says efforts to compel CEC to abide by the Power Supply Agreement have unfortunately been ignored and that the company is prepared to continue to follow the process as underlined in the agreement.
He says although the mining company will work on optimizing the use of the limited power that it is receiving, it expects that it shall effectively have to close several areas and that scaled back operations may affect a total of 4,700 direct employees.
Mr Mulenga says the company is engaging with the Unions and other stakeholders to see how they can mitigate the effects of this unavoidable course of action.