00:00Over the weekend, President Lai Ching-de opened up about the possibility of restarting nuclear power in Taiwan.
00:16This marks a major deviation from his Democratic Progressive Party's nuclear-free homeland policy.
00:23As a global tech hub, Taiwan's energy needs are high.
00:27But coupled with uncertainty over fuel supplies coming out of the Middle East, pressure is on for the government to
00:33ramp up capacity.
00:35Restarting nuclear power has been an ongoing discussion and a sticking point for Taiwan's opposition parties.
00:40Voters rejected restarting one of the country's nuclear plants last year, but it seems like the ruling party may shift
00:46away from those results.
00:48But even as Lai opens to nuclear power, the opposition is not letting him off the hook for changing banners.
01:02Taiwan's state-owned power company, Tai Power, has been struggling for years, racking up billions of U.S. dollars in
01:09losses.
01:09Over 95 percent of the country's energy comes from imported fossil fuels, placing heavy dependence on external sources.
01:17Supporters say nuclear power can help alleviate Taiwan's energy woes, while opponents say that it poses safety risks.
01:36As this debate rages on, experts say that even if Taiwan decides to turn back to nuclear power today, results
01:44won't come until much further down the road.
02:09On the streets of Taipei, the public is split over the decision.
02:14I agree that it should be removed, or the electricity will not be enough.
02:18So do you have to solve the核廃料 to put on where and the government's problems?
02:23From the last time to the discussion, these things are still not solved.
02:26While the pro- and anti-nuclear power advocates are still hashing it out, it seems both sides of the
02:32aisle are treading onto common ground.
02:35Whatever debates around nuclear power arise, it doesn't change the fact that Taiwan is feeling the pinch for more power.
02:41Klein Wang, Ai Qi, and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.
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