GS,like your mate said, you don't choose the most expensive...

GS,like your mate said, you don't choose the most expensive option. Your mates answer was in regards to your question about using bord and pillar over O/C and stripping ratios and reasons for selecting one over the other at no point did he compare production costs from a O/C operation to a B&P nor that of a longwall to a B&P. and i defy him to show me a B&P mine with a cost per tonne consistently lower than a good O/C Mate at the end of the day its a highcost mine and would be marginal should prices fall, its not the only one out there and won't be the last other companies have them and the majors do too.
Also GS you know what happens when prices fall the big guys ramp up production at their low cost mines and wind back the less profitable and rely on volume sales and guess what? It squeezes the higher cost producer s out of the market. Don't need to be an expert its life history does iunfortunately have a habbit of repeating.
Just my observations and for your info left the industry last year.
Cheers.