Klaus Traube, German mechanical engineer and anti-nuclear power activist, Died at 88

Klaus Traube was born on February 25, 1928, and died on September 4, 2016.

He was a German engineer and former manager in the German nuclear power industry and one of its leading opponents.

Klaus Traube was the victim of an illegal eavesdropping operation by the BfV (the German secret service), because he was falsely suspected of passing on secret information to people sympathizing with terrorism, notably the Red Army Faction.

When the war was over, despite his bad experiences, Traube stayed in Germany and studied mechanical engineering (Maschinenbau) and romance studies.

He began work at the German AEG, where he quickly rose to become director of the department for nuclear power.

Then he lived abroad for some time (he worked for General Dynamics in San Diego).

Upon his return to Germany and became head of Interatom, a component company of the Kraftwerk Union, which was part of the Siemens conglomerate.

Additionally, he was responsible for the development of the German fast breeder-project in Kalkar.

He was a strong supporter of renewable energy.

Traube achieved iconic status among Germans opposed to nuclear power, during the 1980s.

Klaus Traube was Director of the Institute for Energy-economics and Energy-politics at the University of Bremen, from 1990 to 1997.

Klaus Traube passed away at 88 years old.