Copper mines in Zambia, Africa’s second-biggest producer of the metal, will have continuous electricity even if a supply deal lapses next month with no agreement to replace it, Energy Minister Matthew Nkhuwa said. Most producers, including the local unit of Glencore, buy power from Copperbelt Energy Corp, which in turn purchases it from State-owned Zesco under a two-decade old accord. That pact expires on March 31 and an industry lobby group flagged uncertainty surrounding it as the biggest risk that copper mines face this year.
