5/9/2024

speaker
Lester
Conference Operator

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the London Gold's first quarter of 2024 results conference call. At this time, all lines are in a listen-only mode.

speaker
Operator
Conference Operator

Following the presentation, we will request your session.

speaker
Lester
Conference Operator

At any time during this call, you require immediate assistance. Please press star zero for the operator. This call is being recorded today, May 9, 2024. I would now like to turn the conference over to Ron Hochstein.

speaker
Operator
Conference Operator

Please go ahead.

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Lester, and good morning or afternoon, everyone. Thank you all for joining us on this slightly later-than-usual conference call today. We're Terry Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Chris Kololian, Chief Financial Officer, and I are going to take you through our results for the first quarter of 2024. Please note, Lending Gold's disclaimer is on this slide. This discussion includes forward-looking information. Actual future results may differ from expected results for a variety of reasons described in the caution regarding forward-looking information and statements section of our press release. Lending Gold is a U.S. dollar reporting entity, and all amounts in this presentation refer to U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. London Gold has kicked off 2024 with first quarter gold production of over 111,500 ounces and gold sales of just under 109,000 ounces at a cash operating cost of $735 per ounce sold and all in sustaining costs of $868 per ounce sold. These results are a great indication of things to come and put the company Firmly on track to meet its production guidance of 450 to 500,000 ounces and an all-in sustaining cost guidance of $820 to $890 per ounce for the year. Bolstered by this strong operating performance, reduced debt servicing costs, and record high gold prices, lending gold generated an excess of 100 million cash from operating activities and free cash flow of 82 million during the first quarter. An important milestone achieved during the quarter was London Gold's announcement of its updated estimate of mineral resources and mineral reserves. With this update, the company has grown FDN's reserves since operations began, adding approximately 2.6 million ounces before mining depletion. This kind of success is only possible with an asset of exceptional quality like FDM and a strong geology team. Our 2023 conversion drilling program has enabled us to grow our measured and indicated resources, and the Near Mine program has also provided additions to our inferred resources. Based on planned conversion and exploration programs for 2024, I'm very excited for the potential to add more ounces to and around FDN over the coming year. Terry will go into a little more detail about the updated estimate later in this call. Exploration activities in 2024 have also got off to a great start and continue to yield positive results. Over 12,330 meters of drilling across 26 holes were completed on the near mine program in the first quarter. There were several exciting results at depth. and on Bonza sewer. But the most intriguing and exciting is a new high grade zone. We call FDN East, just to the east of the FDN resource. 2024 will be the largest drilling program ever conducted on the land package that hosts FDN. And we're all very excited about its potential. As you are well aware, A key priority in 2023 was to clean up our balance sheet. In Q1 2023, we elected to repay in full the 10 remaining quarterly installments of the gold prepaid facility for $208 million. And in Q4, we fully repaid the remaining balance under the senior debt facility of $72 million. In line with this, after the end of the first quarter of this year, Funding Bowl announced that we have come to an agreement with Newmont to buy out 100% of the balance of the stream credit facility and offtake agreement for 330 million. The negotiated purchase price is payable in cash. With the first tranche of 180 million due upon closing of the transaction, which is targeted for June 28th and the final tranche of 150 million is due by the end of the third quarter. Our final payment on the stream will be in June with a very healthy cash balance of $324 million at the end of the first quarter and continued strong cash flow generation expected. Lending Gold will have no issues meeting these obligations. With this milestone complete, Lending Gold will have repaid in full all of its project debt only four years after achieving commercial production at Fruity Del Marte. Between 2021 and 2023, Lending Gold generated close to $1.4 billion of cash from operating activities. Over that same period, Lending Gold has made scheduled payments under the project financing package of over $600 million, which meant 45% of cash from operating activities were paid to our lenders. That excludes the voluntary early repayments of the Gold prepay facility and the senior debt facility. After the buyout of the stream for $330 million, Lending Gold will be free of any obligations to our previous debtors. In other words, 100% of our cash flow will be attributable to shareholders. The company will have full exposure to rising gold prices, resulting in increased amounts of free cash flow to support capital allocation initiatives, including further growth and shareholder returns. On that note, before I turn the call over, I want to comment on some incorrect news out this morning on bloomberg regarding our dividend we have not not cut our dividend and are in fact reviewing our policy to evaluate a potential increase in our dividend with that i'd now like to turn the call over to terry thanks ron and hello all another strong start to the year for lending gold and one we intend to continue building from over the coming quarters

speaker
Terry Smith
Chief Operating Officer

Our operating results in Q1 were highlighted by quarterly gold production totaling approximately 112,000 ounces with gold sales of about 109,000 ounces. In the same period last year, gold production and sales totaled roughly 140 and 134,000 ounces respectively. Production in Q1 2023 benefited from some exceptional high-grade mines late in 2022 and early 2023, followed by lower grades through the balance of the year. In 2024, we see the reverse with production weighted towards the second half of the year. Mine production was close to 420,000 tons of ore at an average grade of 9.5 grams per ton. The mill processed about 414,000 tons of ore at an average throughput rate of 4,545 tons per day, which is consistent with the throughput rate achieved during the previous quarter and in line with the throughput target set at the start of the year of 4,500 tons per day. Recovery was 88.3% for the quarter, which is slightly lower than our full year guidance, but in line with expectations. As we've stated before, average grades and recoveries will vary during the year, with mill grades expected to increase incrementally over the remaining quarters. As part of our plant expansion project, the new Jameson cells will help recoveries of the finely disseminated ore that we've encountered. Beyond installing these units, we've been busy developing a deeper understanding of FDN's geology and how it impacts metallurgical performance with several test programs which have led to some improvements in the way we operate. Construction of the plant expansion commenced in Q1 with the new tailings and reclaimed lines. We expect construction activities to wrap up through Q2 as civil and structural work gets underway and detailed engineering will wrap up. Procurement of the third concentrate filter and other equipment included in the project are on track. The project remains on schedule for completion by the end of this year as we look ahead to running at 5,000 tons per day with stronger recoveries. Q1 was another strong period of low costs at FDN. Cash operating costs and all-in sustaining costs in the first quarter were $735 and $868 per ounce of gold sold, respectively, which are both in line with expectations. Cash operating costs were at the upper end of guidance as a result of lower gold production resulting from expected lower grades and recoveries, while lower than anticipated sustaining capital activities during the quarter reduced all in sustaining costs. Sustaining capital expenditures accounted for $65 per ounce in the first quarter, which was lower than expected, with activities focused on completing projects, including the implementation of a line dispatch system, and the upgrade of the surface haul road from the mine to the ore stockpile area. FTN undoubtedly provides great exposure to the current strong gold price as illustrated on slide 11. In 2023, Lending Gold's operating cash flow margin of 58% was significantly higher than the peer group average of 37%. While other companies in the gold space have been wrestling with cost inflation pressures Lending Gold continues to benefit from a number of structural advantages that results in our costs remaining quite sticky, which is a function of our high-grade ore body and attractive operating environment in Ecuador. Going forward with no debt on our balance sheet and modest capex to sustain and grow operations, we are in a great position to take advantage of these rising gold prices to drive significant value from further growth and shareholder returns. Our ability to maintain high production and low cost is illustrated in our previously announced three-year outlook. Looking to the future, 2024 gold production at FDN is projected to be between 450,000 to 500,000 ounces based on an average throughput rate of 4,500 tons per day, average recoveries of 89%, and average head grade of 9.9 grams per ton. Cash operating costs are estimated to average between $680 and $740 per ounce of gold sold in 2024 and all-in sustaining cost is expected to average between $820 and $890 per ounce of gold sold based on an assumed gold price of $1,900 per ounce and silver price of $22.50 per ounce that factor into government royalties with all-in sustaining costs. Sustaining capital will be lower this year compared to last because the construction of the fifth tailings raise is not scheduled until 2025. For 2025 and 2026, not only do we expect an increase in production, but we also expect cost to trend downwards over time. As everyone is aware, the conversion drilling program is a component of sustaining capital. Conversion drilling in 2023 enabled the company to increase its estimates of mineral reserves at FDN to 5.5 million ounces, while also maintaining mineral resource totals year over year. Increases to the reserve estimate are primarily due to successful conversion drilling, modifications to the mine design, and some changes to technical parameters. Mine design modifications included a higher proportion of longhole mining versus drift and fill, and improvements in mining dilution and recovery estimates. Technical parameter modifications included very minor changes in cutoff grade estimates, and notably higher mill recoveries, which are expected after the process plant's expansion, is completed later this year. The reserve gold price used for calculation of reserve cutoff grade of $1,400 an ounce was unchanged from the previous year. Conversion drilling has also successfully reclassified inferred resources to indicate it in areas immediately beyond the current reserve boundary and totaled 0.35 million ounces of new inferred resources were also added, driving year-over-year increase in measured and indicated resources. Conversion drilling in 2024 has begun, and a total of 3,710 meters across 30 holes were completed during the first quarter. Results continue to confirm mineralization at FDN with high-grade drilling intercepts associated to breccias and stockwork zones, like the mineralization found in the north sector of the mineral reserve envelope. Two rigs are currently turning under the conversion program. With that, I'll turn the call back to Ron to discuss our exploration programs.

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Terry. During the first quarter, Undine Gold completed a total of 12,331 meters of near-mine exploration drilling across 26 holes from surface and underground. The surface drilling program continued to test sectors located along the extensions of the East Fault, where Bonza Sewer and other prospective sectors like the new FDN East Discovery and FDN North are located. At Bonza Sewer, eight surface drill holes were completed. Recent results confirm higher-grade intercepts at shallower depths. Mineralization has already been identified for more than 1.3 kilometers along the north-south strike and for at least 500 meters along the down dip and remains open in all directions. At FDN East, a new mineralized epithermal system was discovered. The target is hosted in similar volcanic and intrusive rocks to those found at the FDN deposit and is buried by sedimentary cover. Four drill holes were completed during the first quarter and all intercepted gold mineralization associated with significant levels of hydrothermal alteration. 10 drill holes were also completed as part of a near mine systematic exploratory drilling program to test new unexplored areas close to FDM. As part of this, in the north extension of the FDM deposit, exploratory holes intercepted large zones of hydrothermal alteration, while at Alejandro, located along the south extension of the east fault, two drill holes were completed with results still pending. The discovery of FDM East and positive results in the north extension of FDM dispel the previous theory that FDM was closed off to the north and east. Based on what we're seeing today, it looks as though FDM is in fact open in all directions and at depth, which is extremely exciting. Drilling from underground mainly explores extensions of the mineral envelope at depth. Four drill holes were completed in the first quarter, with results continuing to indicate gold mineralization associated with zones of hydrothermal alteration of a similar composition to that found at shallower levels of the mine. These results underscore the potential to expand FDM's current mineral envelope at depth. A complete table of results received to date from the conversion and exploration programs can be found in London Gold's recently published press release dated April 17th. 2024. Lending Gold's largest-ever exploration program is continuing to demonstrate the significant untapped exploration potential near, in, and around FDN. The 2024 Near Mine Program has a budget of $30 million and will drill 46,000 meters. The Regional Program also continues to advance the identification of important indicators that point toward the presence of buried epithermal deposits in the southern basin. The 2024 regional exploration program has a budget of $12 million to drill a total of 10,000 meters. New sectors have been identified along the south border of the Suarez Basin, which hosts the Robles and Lupita targets. The regional drilling program commenced at the Robles target in April. Detailed geological interpretation of exploration data and additional field work were completed and aimed at identifying major structures and zones of hypothermal alteration. I'll now turn the call over to CK to provide a more detailed look at the financial results.

speaker
Chris Kololian
Chief Financial Officer

Thanks, Ron, and good morning, everyone. In the first quarter of 2024, Lundin Gold recognized revenues of $227 million from the sale of approximately 109,000 ounces of gold at an average realized gold price of $2,141 per ounce. Income from mining operations was $113 million compared to $133 million a year earlier, primarily a result of the lower gold ounces sold during the quarter. From this, Lending Gold generated adjusted earnings, which exclude a one-time special tax levy by the government of Ecuador, the derivative loss, and related deferred income tax expense included in net income of $58 million, or $0.24 per share, this quarter, compared to $67 million, or $0.28 per share, a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA was $131 million in the first quarter. Lundy and Gold's story is underpinned by sustained and continuing generation of substantial cash flow, and the first quarter was no different. Lundy and Gold generated net cash from operating activities of $108 million in Q1 and free cash flow of $82 million, or $0.35 per share, compared to negative $12 million, or negative $0.05 per share, a year earlier. Results this time last year were impacted by the full repayment of the Gold prepay facility. We expect to continue generating significant pre-cash flow in the future based on our production and all in sustaining cost guidance, especially given increased exposure to strong gold prices with the benefit of the full repayment of the gold prepay and senior debt, and now the buyout of 100% of the stream. Lending Gold's balance sheet is now better than ever. As at March 31st, the company had cash of $324 million and a working capital balance of $414 million, compared to cash of 268 and working capital 347 at December 31, 2023. Since then, however, as Ron mentioned earlier, we have come to an agreement with Newmont to buy out 100% of the balance of the stream and offtake for $330 million. Our current cash balance and future cash flows will more than cover the cost of the transaction. Upon completion, London Gold will be debt-free and have more exposure to increasing amounts of free cash flow, leaving scope for increased investments into growth, increased shareholder returns, or both. As mentioned previously, we will be reviewing our dividend policy in the second half of this year with an expectation of increasing the dividend. On the growth front, we see tremendous opportunity organically with our successful near-mine exploration program, which could lead to investments into new satellite deposits. And then, as ever, we continue to assess the M&A landscape. A huge milestone reach for Lundeen Gold, which provides us with even more opportunities to grow. Very exciting times ahead indeed. For a more detailed discussion of our financial results, I encourage you to turn to the MD&A. Now I'd like to turn the call back over to Ron for his concluding remarks.

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, CK. The first quarter certainly provides a strong foundation for the rest of the year. and London Gold's production and cost guidance remain unchanged as a result. Production is expected to be higher during the second half of the year, driven by planned increases in grades and recoveries. Further, the process plant expansion project to increase plant throughput to 5,000 tons per day and improve metallurgical recoveries with the addition of the Jameson Cell technology remains on track for completion by the end of 2024. The near-mine drilling program continues to explore Bonza sewer, where the primary focus is to better understand the target's mineralized zones through reduced drilling spacing, as well as expanding the system along the north extension of the target and at depth. At the new FDM, the east discovery two rigs will focus on expanding the initial positive results achieved to gain a better understanding of the mineralized zones and the main geological controls. One underground rig is expected to continue to test the extension of the FDN mineral envelope at depth. One surface rig is planned to continue to test unexplored areas around FDN, targeting new discoveries. The regional drilling program has been restarted with one surface rig testing the Robles and Lopita targets in the southern basin. We have added an underground rig and now have 10 rigs, seven surface rigs, and three rigs underground. which are currently turning across the conversion near mine and regional programs with a minimum of 65,000 meters of drilling plans in 2024. Once again, a minimum. The estimated exploration budget is 42 million. Finally, I can't finish without mentioning Lending Gold's dividend. The company anticipates continuing to declare quarterly dividends of at least 10 cents per share declared on a quarterly basis, which is equivalent to approximately 100 million annually. As mentioned previously, we will be reviewing our dividend policy in the second half of this year. We are in a great financial position. We continue to generate significant cash, and we are now strongly focused on growth. Operational excellence enables strong cash flow generation, which in turn gives us the ability to grow. on the strong foundation of ESG. All in all, a great start to 2024 and a base from which we will continue to build. As always, I'm proud of the team for all their hard work this quarter and look forward to the rest of this year. Thank you all once again for your continued support. With that, I'll now turn the call over to questions. Lester, over to you.

speaker
Lester
Conference Operator

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. We will now conduct the question and answer session. If you have a question, please press star, followed by the number one on your telephone keypad. And if you wish to cancel your request, please press star two. Your first question comes from Ross Adams from CIBC Capital Markets. Your line is now open.

speaker
Ross Adams

Thank you, operator, and thank you, London Gold, for the presentation. I have a couple for CK and a couple for Terry. So for CK, I was going to ask on the dividend, but Ron, you cleared that up at the top of the call. So as expected, the dividend revision is a potential increase once the balance sheet is debt-free. On that topic, if you could be a little forward-looking to later this year, what do you think the bookends for a new dividend might be? I assume one end, the low end, would be keeping it at $0.10 a quarter. Do you have a ceiling or upper limit that you think would be used in the dividend review? And then the second one for CK is I wanted to ask on the G&A costs, Q1 looked like a step higher. Is that the new run rate or were there one-time costs in this period?

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

I'll take the first one, Bryce. Thanks for the questions. In terms of, yeah, it's not a cut. The dividend policy is a bare minimum maintain in terms of a ceiling. That's actually one of the things we're talking with the board today in our strategy session, and just stay tuned.

speaker
Chris Kololian
Chief Financial Officer

On the G&A, CK? On the G&A, Bryce, that's a higher level than what we would see going forward. There were a couple one-offs in these results. Namely, we mentioned there's the one-time Ecuador special levy, so that's in there. And then also looking at some of the share-based compensation, which was paid out in cash rather than level going forward.

speaker
Ross Adams

Okay, thanks. Terry, unit costs look pretty stable, and it's easy for us to back into the total mine site cost per ton. Can you talk to the split between mining, milling, and G&A, dollars per ton, not dollars per ounces? And are there any plans to report on those metrics in the future?

speaker
Terry Smith
Chief Operating Officer

Thanks for the question, Bryce. Well, we haven't really talked about providing more detail on a unit cost basis. I don't see our Q1 cost being very different from what we had on a unit basis in our reserves release a month or so ago. Is that helpful?

speaker
Ross Adams

Yeah, I can go and use those numbers. If they're within a couple of percentage points of that, that's fair. But yeah, I thought if you had actual results from the quarter, that might be useful, but If you don't want to make it public, I understand that.

speaker
Operator
Conference Operator

Yeah, well, that's good feedback. We'll take that on board. All right. That's it for me. Thanks so much. Thanks, Bryce.

speaker
Lester
Conference Operator

Your next question comes from Don DeMarco from National Bank Financial. Your line is now open.

speaker
Don DeMarco

Thank you, Operator. And good morning, Ron and team. First off, congratulations on becoming debt-free and another strong quarter. Um, so first question, uh, so we see, uh, you're seeing some good results that bonds with sir, FDN needs then regionally. Um, so if we take a step back and look at big picture here, well, what's the vision if near mine resources are proven out? I mean, would it be to extend mine life, potentially create a generational asset or maybe increase throughput beyond 5,000 tons per day and then mine concurrently with FDN?

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

I think, Dom, we're certainly working towards just, you know, continuing to add or replace depletion at a bare minimum and even, you know, and a bit more, ideally. But, yeah, based on the success we're seeing at Bonze-sur, that's one of the things that Terry and the team have been working on is looking at, you know, a what-if scenario and ultimate capacity of our tailings facility, which we're already working. doing work on to provide to enable us to take advantage of that ultimate capacity and then yeah what's next in terms of the next step function for the mill so okay for us for us right now what we're seeing at bonsa sewer and fdn east and that where we are starting to look at okay what if what's what's past what's the next step past 5500 and how do we get there right okay

speaker
Don DeMarco

Actually, my next question was on the TMS. Do you have a conceptual upper limit to its capacity? I presume it covers you have expansion capacity for the rest of the defined mine life and reserves, but how far beyond that could you go before maybe you'd have to look at other options?

speaker
Terry Smith
Chief Operating Officer

Good question, Don. It's something we've been working on. We see the tailings facility having significant capacity expansion potential beyond what was conceived in the original design. So we're just working through that and actually getting permits aligned with that. We have capacity into the 2030s with our current facility as it's been planned. And as that facility is fully expanded, we're well into the 2040s with that facility. Okay.

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

That's a good point. We're actually moving the permit. We're in the process of getting that permitted, Don.

speaker
Don DeMarco

Yeah, okay. Okay, yeah, so that's really a long-term consideration, no near-term risk there. Okay, well, that sounds great. Good luck with continued drilling, a lot of exploration. Look for some catalysts on that front coming forward.

speaker
Operator
Conference Operator

That's all for me. Thanks, Don.

speaker
Lester
Conference Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder, should you have a question, please press star followed by the number one. Your next question is from Kerry Smith from Haywood. Your line is now open.

speaker
Kerry Smith

Thanks, operator. Ron, or maybe Terry, you had mentioned that the mill expansion was on schedule. You didn't talk about the budget, the cap expense. Is it roughly tracking in line with what you expected?

speaker
Terry Smith
Chief Operating Officer

It is, Kerry. We don't see any issues with the cost at this stage.

speaker
Kerry Smith

Okay, okay, great. And when you tie in the new mill for the 5,000 tons a day, are you expecting any significant downtime in terms of mill tonnages for, say, a seven-day period or a 14-day period? Or will you be able to kind of schedule this so that you don't really have much in the way of disruptions on your mill throughput on a daily basis?

speaker
Terry Smith
Chief Operating Officer

There's a lot of tie-ins with this mill expansion, but they're all relatively small tie-ins. And we schedule the mill to go down for 12 hours every month. And we feel like if we can get organized, we can complete segments of these tie-ins while we're down on a scheduled basis and not really need to extend much beyond that. So the construction team is just sort of getting organized around these tie-in campaigns, and so far we're not seeing any need for extended downtime.

speaker
Kerry Smith

Okay, that's perfect. That's helpful. And then the last question may be for Ron, just on Bryce's question about the dividend, sort of the bracket, if you will. If you were to think about it in terms of, say, a percentage of free cash flow in terms of the dividend payout, Could you provide or some other metric like that that might help to give us a sense for what the top range might be?

speaker
Chris Kololian
Chief Financial Officer

hi carrie i can take that one we we do have a clearly stated policy which is um effectively uh no more than 50 percent of operating cash flow less capex so i think that's the policy in place but as ron mentioned you know given the very strong free cash flow profile going forwards once the streams paid off um you know we're going to be looking at revising the policy and an upward uh change the dividend okay ck so right now it's

speaker
Kerry Smith

no more than 50% of operating cash flow less, just sustaining CapEx, right?

speaker
Chris Kololian
Chief Financial Officer

All CapEx, which this year is the expansion project, but then going forward, it's effectively sustaining CapEx.

speaker
Kerry Smith

Okay, right. And then that could be modified once you're debt-free. Okay, got it. Perfect. Thanks very much, guys, and congrats.

speaker
Operator
Conference Operator

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder, should you have any questions, Please press star followed by the number one.

speaker
Lester
Conference Operator

Our next question comes from Terence Orknalon from PSO and Associates. Your line is now open.

speaker
Kinross

Good morning, Terry Orslan. Ron, I know the cadastral is closed in Ecuador for a while now, and you got a fairly significant ground position, but If Kadrasta were to open, would you augment your ground position given the appetizing results that you have to exploration?

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

Hi, Terry. Based on what we've got right now, no. We've got a phenomenal ground position that was part of the original acquisition package with Kinross, and we cover everything we know right now as the very most prospective areas. We're in a good situation, which as long as the cadastra is closed, we're charging ahead. For us, the cadastra being closed isn't hurting us, and once it opens, it's more for the industry overall in Ecuador than us. We've got lots in front of us with a really good runway.

speaker
Kinross

Okay. Thanks for that, Ron. Second question I have is, is share buyback is part of the option you may consider in the future with the excess cash flow management, let's say? No. Only dividends?

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, the answer is no, and we've talked about this before. Part of the issue, Terrence, for us is we're better off focused on dividends for a shareholder return. A share buyback program really doesn't work for us given that we've got 59% of our shares held by two shareholders, Newmont and the Lundin Family Trust. So we don't have a big float. We've recently, you know, I guess not recently, six months or so ago, we got on the, or longer, on the TSX index. And part of that was, a key measure for that is the float. And it's also one of the reasons why we're not on the GDX index. even though we meet a lot of the other criteria, it's because of the float. So share buyback for us, this really isn't in the cards.

speaker
Kinross

Thank you, Ron, for that. I have one more question. You're going to be in the enviable league of the gold mining companies in Canadian history, whereby your class of assets and as well as the great and so on, it makes it very difficult to acquire. I would quote quickly Campbell Red Lake and Hamlow, for instance. They could never actually make the proper acquisition because the mother company being so triple tier, okay, one asset class. So, I mean, there are a lot of companies that you can acquire or merge with, which will never be going to be in the class that I can think of. of the size as well of where you are. It's very difficult to structure that. I think that's what Campbell Red Lake and Handel kind of failed in history. They couldn't move much beyond their perimeter. So is it possible that, let's say, like dividend policy, for instance, may be structured in such a way that people recognize the asset value of Fidelio Norte, but the The upcoming one in the asset class that you may deal with, I'm sure it's not going to be, very likely it's not going to be the same class as you are. So how do you treat that? Because no matter how you look at it, it's going to be some sort of a dilution for the value of the company.

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

You know, Terry, it's a good point. We do know that Fruita is an amazing asset, but he is. You never stop looking. you never stop looking for opportunities. And I think that's where the lending group overall have been extremely successful in finding opportunities where others may not have seen them or, you know, whether it's assets, whether it's companies, however, and being looking at things, create creativity creatively and being patient. And so for We don't say it's not going to happen. We say we continue to look for opportunities, and that's the way we see it.

speaker
Chris Kololian
Chief Financial Officer

I might add to that. You agreed that obviously FDN is a phenomenal asset, and there's a a high bar in terms of finding something that can sit next to it. So we certainly hold ourselves to that high bar. However, your comment about dilution to value, I would say that there's tremendous value. We do see M&A as an opportunity. And the levers that we have on as a company in terms of our skill sets, whether it's operational excellence, whether it's exploration or ESG leadership, we do see the opportunity to redeploy those skill sets into new opportunities to unlock additional value for our shareholders.

speaker
Kinross

Fair enough. Again, thank you, Ron and the team, Terry and so on, and doing all the good things for the shareholders.

speaker
Operator
Conference Operator

Thanks again. Your next question comes from Terry Smith from Haywood.

speaker
Lester
Conference Operator

Your line is now open.

speaker
Kerry Smith

Okay, thanks. I just had a follow-up for Terry. Terry, in the mine plan, what would be the rough split between the percentage of the muck that you're pulling underground from the drift and fill versus the stoping?

speaker
Terry Smith
Chief Operating Officer

That's a good question.

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

I want to say it's 90% long hole, 10% drift and fill right now. Yeah. Remember, Kerry, when we originally started, it was about 60-40. And we keep drilling in the areas as we get closer to them, and the geotech's a lot better than what was originally anticipated.

speaker
Unknown

So we've been able to... I think right now the only part that's drift and fill is actually the crown pillar, isn't it, Terry? Yeah.

speaker
Kerry Smith

OK. So you're thinking that ratio is probably going to be a reasonable ratio on a go-forward basis then?

speaker
Terry Smith
Chief Operating Officer

Yeah.

speaker
Operator
Conference Operator

That's correct.

speaker
Kerry Smith

OK. Great.

speaker
Operator
Conference Operator

Thank you. I appreciate it. There are no further questions at this time.

speaker
Lester
Conference Operator

Mr. Ron, please proceed with your closing remarks.

speaker
Ron Hochstein
President & Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Lester. Thank you everyone for taking part in attending the Q1 conference call. Please stay tuned for additional exploration results as the drills keep turning. As I said, we're now up to 10 rigs, and I continue to push Andre to see if we can't get more going. So it's a very exciting time for Lending Gold and the operations, and the team at site continue to do a great job. Thank you, everyone, and have a great day.

speaker
Lester
Conference Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference call. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.

Disclaimer

This conference call transcript was computer generated and almost certianly contains errors. This transcript is provided for information purposes only.EarningsCall, LLC makes no representation about the accuracy of the aforementioned transcript, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the information provided by the transcript.

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