Power plants: which to build and which not to in SimCity 3000

Contributor/author(s): Augustinas Zemaitis

I've played many SimCity games, and have a strategy for power plants.

1. Coal power plant - 1900. Least expensive. You will probably build it in your city if you started it at 1900, because oil power is too expensive at the start. They're a good start, but later you must tear down these plants because they are very polluting. Place them near the industrial district or many squares from residential areas, preferably on the map's edge.

2. Oil power plant - 1900. I think few build this one. It's much more expensive than coal, but it is still too polluting and you must build it far from residential areas.

3. Gas power plant - 1955. Yes... it's much cleaner than oil and coal. You can build closer to the town than coal and oil. If you have a power-selling deal and you need more power, use coal, since gas doesn't usually provide adequate power for heavy use.

4. Nuclear power plant - 1960. It is clean like gas, but expensive like coal. When invented, you can change your power strategy from coal to nuclear power. If you start in 1950, I recommend starting with nuclear if you want to sell energy to your neighbor. Yes, there is problem with possible radiation if the nuclear plant explodes. As with all power plants, be sure to replace it before it can explode. Also, save your city often in case of a meltdown.

5. Wind power plant - 1980. Wind power plants are very expensive (relatively speaking, considering size and power output) and it takes a lot of land to get power to the masses. But Wind power is useful for small power requirements such as farms, incinerators, and other buildings, which you build far from town. High-tension line building will be more expensive in some cases than using a wind power plant to power the remote area.

6. Solar power collector - 1985. If you have money and land (and these power plants have been invented), you can change your power strategy to solar. But it is not recommended. Solar plants are not-polluting like wind plants. You can place it (like a wind plants) anywhere; it isn't a NIMBY building. It's very good for small districts where building power lines over water or land can get expensive. If you start the game in 1950, you can use the solar power strategy right away, but if you want to sell power, other more powerful plants are desirable.

7. Microwave power plant - 2020. Non-polluting and generates a lot of power. It is more expensive than nuclear and generates about the same amount of power, but there is no chance of radiation. Note, however, that if the beam of the microwave plant gets thrown off, it can cause a fire. You can change your strategy to microwave plants, or you can wait for fusion power plants. If you sell a lot of power but don't use nuclear plants, check out microwave power.

8. Fusion power plant - 2050. This is the best power plant for price/power. It generates more power than nuclear and is a little more expensive. It's very clean. You must build only four to power a very large city.

9. Waste to energy incinerator (WTEI) - 2000. Highly polluting, but not like a simple incinerator. The NIMBY affect is lower than landfills, though you should still build this plant away from the people. It's great if take other cities' garbage: you get the money for deal and energy to boot! Then you could even sell this energy to your neighbor for double cash.

See also
Surviving a nuclear meltdown
Power plant output and costs
Realistic thoughts on power plants
The true cost of energy
Clean power plants: which is best?
Cash for trash
Building police, fire, health, education & recreational buildings
Water buildings & garbage facilities: which to build