I am particularly interested in the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons proliferation due to the two places the technologies intersect in the nuclear fuel cycle, namely in uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing. This subject has become particularly timely as nuclear power plants are being touted nationally and globally as 'clean,' since they do not release carbon dioxide during their operations. But the nuclear weapons connections, as well as other problems, raise questions about the risks involving nuclear power. Germany, with its decision a decade ago to phase out its nuclear power plants (a decision modified but then reinstituted after the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011), is a fascinating case study that I have written about and continue to research. A related subject area that I'm looking into has to do with electricity transmission grid development and the relationship to renewable versus base-load power sources.
keywords
journalism, non-fiction, environmental studies, nuclear weapons production, nuclear power fuel cycle, German nuclear power debate
