Supply-side impediments appear to be on something of a world tour at present - with an itinerary that the UN Secretary General would be proud of. Last month, talk of disruptions remained focused around Chinese smelters (a legacy of the harsh winter); rainfall in Central Africa and upon Southern African power networks, notably Zambia. Weather and power-related problems remain very topical issues. This month, adverse weather has caused a further bout of disruption - with, for example, heavy rain nudging 2008 forecast copper production 10 percent lower at Kagara Limited's Australian operations. Meanwhile, back on the power front, there has been considerable renewed interest and debate on the short-term (and longer-term) energy equation in Chile. Labour disputes have also made a re-appearance this month causing disruption in PNG (Ok Tedi), Zambia (Chambishi) and Chile (El Teniente, San Antonio) to add to the long-term Mexican saga at Cananea. In summary, the overarching message on supply-side disruption is that of the same issues, but different characters.
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