Russian exporters of nickel, steel, aluminum and copper paid extra export taxes in the last five months of 2021.

The company said three weeks ago that nickel output at the smelter in Finland had been stopped due to a slag explosion.

The weather-triggered stoppages affected production of about 1.5 million tonnes of iron ore.

An appeals court ordered the suspension, which was requested by the regional governor of the Atacama region and local indigenous communities.

Nickel prices touched $22,935 a tonne on Friday, the highest since 2011.

The pact to explore business opportunities, under which both will invest about $5 billion, covers industries such as renewable energy, hydrogen, and logistics.

Indigenous communities living around Chile’s Atacama salt flat last year asked authorities to suspend SQM’s operating permits or reduce its operations until it submits an environmental compliance plan acceptable to regulators.