BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) has been one of the largest companies on the ASX for many years, and I think it can remain an important global miner well into the future.
Commodity prices will almost certainly rise and fall over the next decade. But with a 10-year investment timeframe, I am more interested in the quality of BHP's assets and where its production growth could come from.
Here are three reasons I would be happy to buy BHP shares and hold them until 2036.
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A world-class iron ore business
Iron ore remains an important part of BHP's business, providing the company with substantial cash flow that can support dividends and investment in future growth.
BHP produced record iron ore volumes in FY26, while its Western Australian operations remain among the lowest-cost major iron ore businesses in the world. The company is also continuing to invest in its rail and port infrastructure, with plans to lift sustainable production beyond 305 million tonnes per year.
I like that BHP is still finding ways to improve such a large and established operation. Even small productivity gains can become meaningful when they are applied across hundreds of millions of tonnes of annual production.
China's demand for steel may change as its economy develops, but iron ore will still be needed for infrastructure, housing, manufacturing, and urbanisation across the world. BHP's low-cost position should help it remain competitive through weaker parts of the commodity cycle.
Copper could drive the next phase of growth
Copper is becoming increasingly important to BHP.
The company produced around 2 million tonnes of copper in FY26 for the second consecutive year. At its most recent half-year result, copper also contributed 51% of underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA).
I believe this could be the beginning of a much larger shift in BHP's earnings mix.
Copper is needed for electricity networks, renewable energy, electric vehicles, data centres, and the broader electrification of the global economy. BHP expects global copper demand to increase by around 70% by 2050, while declining grades and lengthy approval processes could make new supply difficult to develop.
BHP is already the world's largest copper producer and expects its copper production to grow by around 5% per year on average through to 2035. Its opportunities across Chile, South Australia, Argentina, and the United States could give the business several paths to benefit from stronger long-term demand.
Potash adds another long-term opportunity
BHP is also preparing to enter the potash market through its Jansen project in Canada.
Potash is used to improve crop yields, making it increasingly important as the global population grows and the amount of arable land per person declines.
Jansen Stage 1 is expected to begin production in mid-2027. Once the first two stages are fully ramped up, the project is expected to produce approximately 8.5 million tonnes of potash per year and have a mine life of almost 60 years.
The project has experienced higher costs and delays, particularly at Stage 2, so BHP still has plenty of work ahead. However, a 10-year timeframe gives the company time to complete construction, increase production, and establish potash as another meaningful earnings stream.
Foolish takeaway
BHP's results will always be influenced by commodity prices, which means its earnings and dividends can vary considerably from year to year.
But I think its low-cost iron ore operations, growing copper exposure, and entry into potash give the company an attractive foundation for the next decade.
For those reasons, I would be happy to buy BHP shares today and hold them for 10 years.
