Chile Braced For Power Crisis

Chile's copper mining industry could be under threat from an energy crisis brought on by natural weather system La Niña.

La Niña forms when eastern equatorial waters of the Pacific cool, which can result in low water levels in Chile's hydroelectric reservoirs.

If this happens, the country could declare a state of emergency and possible rationing of energy supplies, the Chilean Government has told The Times newspaper.

The country's mining industry - the world's third-largest copper producer - is expected to be hit heavily by any change in power output.

By staff writer