SANTIAGO, June 1 (Reuters) - Canadian fertilizer company Nutrien NTR.TO auctioned its remaining stake in Chile lithium miner SQM on Friday for nearly $1 billion, the last step in meeting regulatory commitments after the company was formed in January by the merger of Agrium and Potash Corp of Saskatchewan.
The nearly 20.17 million B-series shares in SQM SQM_pb.SN sold on Chile's IPSA .IPSA stock exchange for 31,000 pesos ($49.05) per share.
China's Tianqi Lithium Corp 002466.SZ last month said it would buy nearly a quarter of the lithium miner for $4.1 billion, gaining it coveted access to a key ingredient in rechargeable batteries that power mobile phones and electric cars. USD = 632 Chilean pesos)