Nuclear Plant Meltdown?

[Dionysus]

Has anyone ever had a nuclear powerplant melt down?

I've not and am wondering what happens if that occurs:

- do you lose city improvements (temples, libraries, etc)?
- can wonders in that city be destroyed?

What are the chances of a nuke plant going critical?

I assume city surroundings (roads, mines, railroads, irrigation) and some of the population are destroyed and the surrounding area would need to be cleaned up in a meltdown event similar to what happens when a city is nuked.

The reason I ask is I have a majorly prime city with iron works, a factory and I am building a nuclear plant. It will be a wonder-producing wonder. But if the nuclear plant goes critical could I lose the wonders and thus the benefits from those wonders?

[Bamspeedy]

I have never experienced a melt-down. There is only a chance of a melt-down if your city goes into disorder, so make sure they are happy. From what I know, and by guessing, you will not lose the wonders, the terrain will probably be the same as if a nuke had hit your city, and you will probably just lose the nuclear plant.

[eyrei]

I think all effects are the same as if your city got nuked.

[Akka]

Basically, a meltdown has the same effect than a nuclear bombing.
The thing is, the nuclear plant is NOT destroyed in the process, which means that you can have multiple meltdowns in the same city from the same plant.

[Dirk Aurel]

Haven´t had a meltdown yet,so this is speculation,if Civ3 is like Civ2 it will probably happen when your city falls into disorder. Most players don´t experience disorder in large cities, but it´s imaginable...

[Beamup]

I once had 7 meltdowns in a single turn. I'd been trading for 7 luxuries from the other civs, and all of a sudden, in the space of one turn, they ALL declared war on me. Thanks to my numerically and technologically superior navy, they didn't ever reach my territory, but many of my cities went into disorder when I lost the luxuries. I had 10 nuclear plants in cities that went into disorder, and 7 melted down, with effects identical to a nuclear attack.