Question on Coal Plants, Hydro Plants, Nuke Plants

[WolfHound22]

Most of my games don't end up going too far into the modern era where replacing coal plants becomes an issue, but I had a few questions about it.

If you build a hydro or a nuke plant, does that immediately destroy the coal plant or cancel out its effects? Also does the Three Gorges Dam have the same effect? Or are you still stuck with the unhealthy coal plant even after building the new building?

 

[Ghpstage]

Building a hydro plant does remove the 2 from coal, building a nuke plant renders the city unusable for quite some time....
Three Gorges removes the from coal too, you always get +2 fromn haing power regardless of what plant you use though.

 

[WolfHound22]

If you build a nuke plant what are the chances that you'll have a meltdown? I seem to remember hearing somewhere that it was a 2% chance every turn.

On that note, I remember putting a nuke plant in my national park city a few games ago

Nothing came of it though and I won a diplomatic victory eventually as I recall.

 

[King Flevance]

IMO its best to just rely on coal and hydro. If you go after Recycle centers soon, the health from the coal plant kind of goes away and its like a nuke plant that can't melt down.

 

[Rathelon]

I always skip coal plants and just build Three Gorges Dam as soon as I am able.

 

[Meteora]

Do power plants even do anything? The description says it'll provide power but that's it, I don't see any hammer symbols or anything.

 

[starmanbeta]

Do power plants even do anything? The description says it'll provide power but that's it, I don't see any hammer symbols or anything.

Look at the description for factories. Factories provide more hammers with power.

 

[SmokedSalmon]

When you have hydro plant is there a point to have a coal plant? Do they make it double production?

 

[logarithm64]

No, having multiple power plants doesn't increase the amount of power the city has.

 

[s.bernbaum]

If you have hydro there is no reason to get coal power. OTOH, if you have coal power, getting hydro will decrease unhealthiness by 2, although it will cause no change in your city production.

 

[Silu]

A reason to further favor Coal even over Hydro plants are random events - there's a fairly common random event that gives +4 to coal plants. "Working a free plains hill mine" can give tons of hammers in the late game and basically always worth the 2 if you get the event.

 

[r_rolo1]

A reason to further favor Coal even over Hydro plants are random events - there's a fairly common random event that gives +4 to coal plants. "Working a free plains hill mine" can give tons of hammers in the late game and basically always worth the 2 if you get the event.

OTOH the only event I remember that has to do with hydro plants is them breaking and flooding your city killing 1 pop

Well , atleast is better than the nuke bomb that gives power with randomly active switch aka nuclear plant. I really need to be desperate to even consider building one of those and thankfully they don't survive capture IIRC

 

[SmokedSalmon]

There should be an incentive to build a nuclear plant, maybe more production than coal or hydro, otherwise I just build hydro plants and coal where there is no river.

 

[Scoottr]

Does the Coal plant you are no longer using after a Hydro plant is built still carry a maintenance cost?

 

[King Flevance]

Buildings no longer have maintenance costs in Civ 4.

 

[WolfHound22]

If you got the "better coal fuel" event that can give you +4 hammers, and you replace the plant, I think you still keep the extra hammers for having the coal plant in your city, even though you get rid of the unhealthiness.

 

[mcaber]

Do NOT build nuclear plants. Ever. If you build one you WILL have a nuclear meltdown, which means the probability for it to happen is 100%.

Nuclear plants are broken. Rant over.

 

[WolfHound22]

Well if its a 2% chance every turn (which I seem to remember from somewhere) it is extremely probable that you will have a meltdown within 50 turns. What I would like to see is for nuke plants to become fully safe after discovering fusion.

 

[starmanbeta]

IMO its best to just rely on coal and hydro. If you go after Recycle centers soon, the health from the coal plant kind of goes away and its like a nuke plant that can't melt down.

Are you sure about that? I though the unhealthiness in coal plants came from the coal itself. Recycling Plants only get rid of unhealthiness from buildings.

 

[s.bernbaum]

Are you sure about that? I though the unhealthiness in coal plants came from the coal itself. Recycling Plants only get rid of unhealthiness from buildings.

You are correct. However, in most situations, once you get rid of building unhealthiness the remaining coal unhealthiness doesn't matter. (Unless you are really short of healthy resources!)