WEBVTT

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Well, the situation in Japan has captured the world's attention, 

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but especially that of nuclear power companies trying to stave off similar disasters in the future.

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Well, I visited one of Taiwan's nuclear plants for a firsthand look at their proactive approach.

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A large earthquake has just hit, and the workers at this nuclear power plant are dealing with a crisis. 

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They've lost power and the backup diesel generators. 

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Then the unimaginable happens -- a tsunami surges into the plant. 

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It's called the Fukushima scenario, 

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an emergency training drill inside simulators at all three of Taiwan's nuclear plants, 

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recreating those terrifying events on March 11.

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Taiwan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year. 

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A 6.8-magnitude quake in 2002 

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sent this crane plummeting from Taiwan's tallest building under construction.

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Despite this seismic activity, Taiwan is dependent on nuclear power. 

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Its three plants, with a fourth being built, supply almost 20 percent of Taiwan's energy. 

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But in the wake of Fukushima, 

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many believe the nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan could just as easily happen here. 

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And the fallout would be catastrophic.

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In northern Taiwan, within [an] 80-kilometer radius, it contribute[s] to 70 to 80 percent of Taiwan's total economy. 

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So if it happens, the nuclear accident happen[s], Taiwan will be ruined.

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After years of supporting Taiwan's nuclear industry, people are now scared. 

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Thousands took to the streets calling for an end to nuclear power. 

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A much larger rally is being planned for the end of the month.

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With anti-nuclear sentiment growing, 

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government-run Taipower has announced it will carry out safety reviews and upgrades at all reactors, 

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and will delay the opening of the fourth plant.

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CNN was given a rare tour of the Kuosheng nuclear plant, an hour's drive from the capital. 

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We were escorted by police into the restricted area that houses the spent fuel rod pool.

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Almost four and a half thousand spent fuel rods are kept under the water. 

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The pool is currently at 85 percent capacity, and every 18 months, 

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180 rods are removed and sent to a reprocessing plant.

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It was these pools at Fukushima that ran out of water, 

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exposing the rods and releasing radioactive material.

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Taipower believes that wouldn't happen here, 

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as they have extra diesel generators, gas turbines and mobile energy sources 

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that could provide power to the reactor's vital cooling systems during a station blackout.

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One of the key differences here in Taiwan is that all their nuclear power plants have reservoirs. 

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Well, this means in an emergency, they can flood the core reactor with water, 

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effectively abandoning the plant and avoiding a disaster like Fukushima.

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In case there's something similar to Fukushima Daiichi accident, then I think we can handle that.

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But for the people who live nearby, those reassurances offer little comfort.

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"We have to find an alternative source of energy," says Kwan Ching-chun . 

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"If what happened in Japan happened here, people would not be able to escape."

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As their colleagues in Japan work tirelessly to contain the nuclear fallout, 

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these men back in the control room know only too well the huge responsibility resting on their shoulders.