Vale had already factored in the Totten mine interruption, so the restart caused no change to the company's 2022 nickel production guidance of 175,000-190,000 tonnes, Vale noted. 

"Production at Totten mine was halted last year after a scoop bucket became lodged in the main shaft. Thirty-nine workers underground at the time were safely returned to surface via secondary egress," Vale said. 

"All of them are back to work, along with Totten mine employees deployed to other locations during the disruption," the company added. 

Prior to the shutdown, the mine produced 3,600 tonnes of finished nickel in the first six months of 2021, which was about 4% of the company's output.