Fukushima One Year Later

The Fukushima Diichi Nuclear Plant disaster began to unfold on March 11, 2011 when an epic earthquake and tsunami hit the coast of Japan.

Public radio journalist Alex Chadwick has spent the last several months researching what the future might hold for nuclear power. You have several opportunities over the next few days to learn from his work.

Listen to his interview with Dick Gordon on The Story Friday at 1. Chadwick will also appear on PBS Newhour Friday at 6pm. On Thursday and Friday, Marketplace will feature special segments during the 6:30pm broadcasts on VPR.

On Monday at 9, VPR presents BURN: An Energy Journal with Alex Chadwick. This special program includes an exclusive interview with an American technician who was on site at the time of the disaster. We'll also hear from Greg Hardy, a Los Angelos-based engineer who has spent much of his career studying the vulnerability of nuclear plants to earthquakes. BURN also travels to Germany, where the government plans to shut down its nuclear reactors by 2022.

Throughout the program, Chadwick will provide a clear explanation of how nuclear energy works, why this is such a difficult technology to develop and manage, and what new nuclear tech is on the horizon.

Visit BURN: An Energy Journal, to hear Chadwick's interviews, and learn more about his research into the future of nuclear power.