Zambian mining firms agree to cut power usage: chamber

LUSAKA (Reuters) - Mining companies operating in Zambia's Copperbelt have agreed to reduce power usage by between 10 and 15 percent to ease pressure on the national grid, the chamber of mines said on Wednesday. Zambian power utility Zesco Ltd is limiting power it supplies to customers, including mining companies, after water levels at its hydro-electric plants dropped due to drought. Zambia Chamber of Mines president Jackson Sikamo said companies were limiting their power use by switching off of non-essential loads and using electricity more efficiently. "We reached an agreement yesterday with the Copperbelt Energy Corporation and the government to put in place measures that will cut back consumption of power," Sikamo told Reuters. First Quantum has said it will lay off about 1,480 workers at one of its Zambian copper projects after the reduction in power supply curbed production. Zambia's power generation capacity stands at 2,200 megawatts, with the bulk of the electricity produced from hydropower, but supply is often erratic. Zambia's output fell to 1,900 megawatts in March due to low water levels in dams.