Katanga orders miners to cut power use to 40 pct

KINSHASA, May 2 (Reuters) - Mining and mineral processing companies in Congo's Katanga province, which produces copper and cobalt, have been ordered to sharply cut their use of electric power by reducing operations, a senior official said on Friday.

"We gave the order to the companies to limit themselves to around 40 percent of their needs. There are a lot who are obeying, but there are others that aren't. And that's creating problems and blackouts," Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Musoka Kasweshi told Reuters from the southeast province. (Reporting by Joe Bavier; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Editing by Peter Blackburn)