Aug 16 (DOW JONES)----
 
Zambia's copper and cobalt mines scaled down power consumption over the
weekend following the closure of two generation units for maintenance work at
Kafue Gorge, the country's largest hydro power station, the state power utility
said Monday.

The copper mines co-operated and heeded calls to reduce power consumption to
allow Zambia Electricity Supply Corp to balance demand and supply, Lucy Zimba,
the senior marketing manager of Zesco told Dow Jones Newswires.

The closure of the two units at Kafue Saturday for maintenance, meant 330
megawatts were lost from the national grid.

"The mines complied and switched off non-essential loads," she said by
telephone from Lusaka, the Zambian capital. Copper mines consume more than 60%
of Zambia's generated power.

The maintenance work was completed Sunday and the two units were switched on
again at 23.00 hours, Zimba said.

Zambia, Africa's largest copper producer, has been facing power troubles
since 2008, which have been blamed on lack of investments in the maintenance of
the country's power installations. The country has since been prone to power
outages, affecting mining operations.

Zesco is currently implementing a rehabilitation program at the country's
largest power stations aimed at boosting power generation to meet rising
demand, mainly from the copper mining sector.