By Shapi Shacinda

LUSAKA, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Zambia shut down its Indeni Oil Refinery on Sept. 1 for 25 days due to crude shortages, energy officials said on Friday.

Zambia, which imports crude oil from the Middle East and refines it at Indeni, is conducting maintenance at the facility while awaiting adequate supplies, the officials said.

The shortages have also prompted Zambia to import oil from South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania, they said.

Most of the diesel produced by the refinery is used to run Zambia's vast copper mines, the country's economic lifeblood.

Buleti Nsemukila, the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Energy, told Reuters that the Indeni refinery had been expected to shut down for maintenance in October but was forced to change plans.

"Indeni will be shut for 25 days and will only resume operations when we receive new (crude) oil stock feed," he said.

"The oil marketing companies are now importing fuel and each individual company is importing varying (stocks)."

Zambia does not produce oil but exports refined petroleum products to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe.

But the current disruptions have forced Zambia to import refined diesel and petrol from South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania, said the energy officials.

Zambia plans to construct storage facilities to safeguard against future supply problems.

Largeman Muzelenga, managing director of the Tazama Pipeline, which transports crude from Tanzania to Indeni refinery, said $1.2 million would be spent per year to upgrade the facility. He did not give a timeframe.

"We will be constructing a storage tank for 40 million litres of diesel to be kept in strategic reserves for the (copper and cobalt) mines and other use," he said.

Industry analysts say diesel demand is rising in copper-rich areas of Zambia to keep pace with higher mineral output.