What is the point of a coal plant?

[botski]

I know this has probably been asked before but I couldnt find it using the search function.

It supplies power for a factory and gives me -2 health, but what is "power"? Is the coal plant just a prereq for another building?

 

[Efexeye]

"Power" means that the city produces +50% the number of hammers per turn. Power plants are very helpful, indeed- in fact, there is a wonder, the 3 Gorges Dam, that gives you a clean power plant in every city!

 

[Woody]

Factories add 25% to hammer production, factories with power add 50% to hammer production.

 

[botski]

Aha! Upon further review, a factory will put out 25% more shields, and 50% with "power". It was so long ago I built my factories I forgot what their description was.

Thanks Efexeye!

 

[Steve2000]

Just for clarification - look at the description for what a Factory does. It will say "+25% production, +50% production if supplied with Power"

So as the previous poster said, the power plant provides the power. This basically doubles the bonus given to your hammer production provided by the factory you already have in the city (since you have to have a factory to build a power plant).

Important to note, that you only need one power plant. So if you later discover nuclear power technology - you can replace your coal plant by building a nuclear one instead (but beware of meltdowns). The power plants do not add a bonus for each one.

(EDIT: Wow three other replies while I was typing)

 

[zafyro]

the point of building a coal plant is to have an extra 25% to the porduction before as soon as possible. Usually i find that -2 health are not worth that extra production output and i wait to the "clean" Energy plants or i build the 3
Gorges Dam.

 

[CVDon]

If you build a coal plant and later build a hydro plant, will the coal plant shut down and stop producing green bad health faces? You can not demolish the coal plant ... can you?

 

[LawLessOne]

Hydro-plants are the best way to go. Coal plants produce unhappyness(pollution) and Nuclear plants can meltdown. The problem is that your city has to be on a river.

From the very beginning I am always looking for city locations on rivers.

 

[Thalassicus]

Actually, on it's own the Factory gives only a 25% production increase. When it's powered, the factory gets an additional +50% bonus, for a total 75% production bonus to your cities, nearly doubling their output!

Building a Hydro Plant in the city later (or building the Three Gorges wonder) removes coal plants' health effect. Building a Recycling Center will also accomplish this, however, in addition to cancelling the health penalties from other buildings like Forges and Airports, and Recycling Centers can be built in any city (unlike hydro power). The real benefit of the 3GD is not the +2 health in existing cities, but the fact that in new cities all you have to do is build a forge and factory to double its production.

 

[snipafist]

Factories provide +75% production with power, not +50%. The +50% from power is in addition to the base 25%. This makes power very important for production in your late game cities.

 

[botski]

Thalassicus you rock!

Did you use XML to make those custom cities or did you use some other function in the software (I havent gotten much past the single player menu)?

 

[MattJek]

Do you need a coal resource to build the coal plant?

 

[Mathias]

I don't think you need coal to build the coal plant, but you do need coal to get the benefits.

 

[snipafist]

Do you need a coal resource to build the coal plant?

Yes you do.

 

[Thalassicus]

Coal plants do indeed require coal for power, but not to build. Which can be somewhat misleading...I think they need to clear up the power plant and factory tooltips.

TDid you use XML to make those custom cities or did you use some other function in the software (I havent gotten much past the single player menu)?

I create test cities in the World Editor: start a new game, then hit CTRL + W to start editing. You can place cities under the Buildings tab in player-edit mode (cities are the first icon on the list), then add some basic attributes to test anything you want to find out.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Yes you do.

No, but if you build a coal plant without coal, then it doesn't give you power.