These funds would be used to replace underground mining equipment and help realise a $20/oz decline in Ashanti's overall costs. AngloGold also says it would set aside $44m for an accelerated drilling programme to explore the deeper regions of Obuasi, known as Obuasi Deeps - a project expected to cost $570m to finance. That's the kind of spending power against which Randgold would struggle to compete, notwithstanding its access to debt finance: $100m in cash and potential cash flow from operations of about $25m/quarter.