Last reactor at Zaporizhzhia plant switched off

KYIV/MOSCOW－The sixth and final reactor at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station was no longer generating electricity, said Ukraine on Sunday.

"Today, September 11, 2022, at night, at 03:41 am, unit No 6 of the ZNPP was disconnected from the power grid. Preparations are underway for its cooling and transfer to a cold state," said state nuclear agency Energoatom in a statement.

Energoatom said on Sunday that a cold shutdown was the "safest state" for the reactor.

It also said the sixth reactor had been generating energy for the plant itself for three days and that the decision to halt its operations came when external power had been restored to the facility. "In case of repeated damage to the transmission lines linking the facility to the power system－the risk of which remains high－the (plant's) in-house needs will be powered by diesel generators," it said in a statement.

On Saturday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in the Ukrainian capital for a surprise visit, which she said was to demonstrate Berlin's support for Kyiv.

It came a week after Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal's trip to Berlin, where he repeated Kyiv's call for weapons.

Baerbock pledged continued "deliveries of weapons, and with humanitarian and financial support". The visit follows one by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Meanwhile, finance and economy ministers of the European Union member states discussed on Friday ways to protect citizens from high energy prices and financial support for Ukraine.

Also on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to donate its potash fertilizers to developing countries.

"Our manufacturers, primarily producers of potash fertilizers, are willing to transfer them free of charge to developing countries that are in dire need of these fertilizers," Putin said at a regular meeting of the Russian Security Council.

Putin said he wanted the Russian Foreign Ministry to work through this issue as well, according to the Kremlin.

Agencies - Xinhua