智利财政部长豪尔赫·基罗斯表示，智利今年的铜产量可能下降8%至9%，这加剧了他对全球头号铜生产国产量下滑的预期，此前该国接连发生致命事故和极端天气。
Chile’s copper production will likely fall 8% to 9% this year, Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz said, worsening his outlook for a slump in the top-producing nation amid a string of deadly accidents and extreme weather.
基罗斯周三在演讲中作出上述预测，这比他在9月预测的约7%降幅更为悲观，当时他曾表示产量将在2027年部分恢复。智利现在正面临20多年来最疲弱的铜产量年份。
The forecast, delivered in a speech Wednesday, compares with a roughly 7% decline Quiroz projected in September, when he said output would partially recover in 2027. Chile is now heading for its weakest year of copper output in more than two decades.
近年来，智利老旧矿山接连遭遇致命事故和风暴袭击，加剧了其他运营挫折。基罗斯还指责多年来投资疲软，导致行业未能应对矿石品位下降，称采矿政策和税收的不确定性导致投资放缓。
The country’s aging mines have been hit by fatal accidents and battered by storms in recent months, compounding other operational setbacks. Quiroz also blamed years of weak investment for leaving the industry ill-prepared for deteriorating ore grades, saying investment slowed amid uncertainty over mining policy and taxes.
智利产量下滑加剧了全球矿山失望表现的连串事件，为2017年以来全球铜矿产量首次年度下降打开了大门，而此时数据中心和电力基础设施投资增加正推动需求增强。
The slump adds to a string of mine disappointments around the world that have opened the door to the first annual decline in global mined-copper output since 2017, just as demand strengthens with increased investment in data centers and power infrastructure.
基罗斯表示，智利产量下降将使该国经济增长减少约1个百分点，连带影响将使总冲击达到多达1.5个百分点。
The decline in Chilean output will shave about 1 percentage point from economic growth in the country, with knock-on effects bringing the total hit to as much as 1.5 percentage points, Quiroz said.
基罗斯称，随着政府寻求加快审批和投资，创纪录数量的采矿项目正进入投资管道，但这些支出转化为产量还需要时间。
A record number of mining projects are now entering the investment pipeline as the government seeks to accelerate permitting and investment, though it will take time for that spending to translate into production, Quiroz said.