00:00The second televised debate on whether to reactivate one of Taiwan's shut-down nuclear power plants has wrapped up.
00:06This time, pro- and anti-debaters zoom in on renewable energy sources as an alternative to nuclear energy.
00:12In the first round, pro-nuclear debater Kuomintang lawmaker Wong Xiaolin said rising cancer rates in the country are due to air pollution from burning coal, Taiwan's main source of energy.
00:23On the anti-nuclear side, Deputy CEO of the Office of Energy and Carbon Reduction, Lin Zilun brushed off the coal-related questions, saying renewable energy is the government's priority.
00:53But the pro-nuclear side came back, saying it's unlikely the economy can handle the high cost of renewable sources, on top of the state-run Taiwan power companies' existing deficits.
01:05And questions about the country's nuclear waste management were also raised.
01:27Lin says it's a burden future generations and people living next to the nuclear plants will have to carry.
01:32This concern again dismissed, with Wong saying there's now technology available to reduce the risk of nuclear waste.
01:53As in the first debate, they also touched on the risks earthquakes posed.
02:23in potentially causing a nuclear disaster, an issue likely to be brought up again in the next debates.
02:29Three more debates, including civic groups and lawmakers, will take place this week.
02:34With the referendum coming up on August 23rd, people here in Taiwan are tuning in to stay informed before they cast their ballots.
02:41Devin Tsai and Irene Lin in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.
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