RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:Agnico paid $13.5 B for Kirkland LakeAppleton North will be by underground methods (just like at Fosterville).
I understannd that the Fosterville underground mining method is via trucks driving down inclines, rather than shafts to the ore body.
These Fosterville inclines are quite long in order to reach the high grade phoenix and swan zones.
However, if NFG inclines were limited to 400m, then the mining operations would be accessing high grade ore most of the way down, whereas Fosterville high grade is not reached for, perhaps, 1000m or more underground.
These inclines would enable selective rock mining and would therefore be likely to be far more economical than any open pit in order to access one or two veins.