CHART: Demand is soaring, but global mining is not expanding

By Frik Els 

A new report by BMO Capital Markets has a trenchant chart showing just to what extent mining companies – flush with cash – are opting to return money to shareholders rather than build new mines. 

Global mining’s enthusiasm for brown and greenfield projects has fizzled over the last decade despite near universal agreement that in the coming decades demand for metals and minerals will boom due to the green energy transition.