SimCity
Register
Advertisement
This article does not meet the quality standards of SimCity Wiki and may require a cleanup. You can help SimCity Wiki by editing this article.
Powerplant

Throughout the SimCity series, players need to lay down power plants to power nearly everything in town with few exceptions. These power plants have major advantages and disadvantages, mostly costs and pollution. Without a power plant, the city will not grow.

Here are the following power plants featured in the SimCity series:

SimCity (original)[]

This section is in need of additional information. You can help SimCity Wiki by expanding this section.

Coal[]

The coal power plant, performs the same as the one in SimCity 2000. This is the first power plant available in the game and is one of the two power stations from the original computer game.

Nuclear[]

The nuclear power plant is the same as the one in SimCity 2000. However, it's been made simpler and is also the only other power plant that can be purchased in the original game.

SimCity 2000[]

All power plants disintegrate after exactly 50 years, unless noted otherwise.

Coal[]

The coal power plant performs the same as the one in SimCity.

Hydro Dam[]

The hydro dams are relatively cheap to build and are a solid source of power while producing no pollution at all. However, they can only be placed at waterfalls and produce little power per dam and thus require a large amount of money when bought in bulk. As they are one of only two plants not to disintegrate after 50 years (the other being wind turbines) they are a good investment for people who have the money to buy a multitude of them.

Oil[]

The oil power plant, while slightly more expensive than coal, produces comparatively more power and less pollution.

Natural Gas[]

The natural gas power plant is cheap but, as with hydro dams, produce less power and thus require more to be build. For a fuel burning plant, they are very clean.

Nuclear[]

The nuclear power plant are the same as the one in SimCity, but is considered cheap compared to the other plants. When the Nuclear Free Zone ordinance is enacted, Nuclear Power Plants can no longer be built and existing ones will disintegrate. If this power plant has not been discovered and this ordinance is enacted, its discovery will also not show up in any newspapers.

Wind Turbine[]

Costing $100 each, the wind turbine is the cheapest way to get power and is considered more reliable than solar. They also don't disintegrate after 50 years making them a good investment.

Solar[]

On cloudy days, the solar power plant will provide little to no power at all. On sunny days however, it is a clean and relatively cheap way to get power.

Microwave[]

The microwave power plant is clean, reliable, reasonably priced and produces a lot of power. The only drawback lies in the risk of a beam being misfired, though potentially blowing up a building and starting a fire is not much of a disaster compared to a nuclear meltdown.

Fusion[]

The fusion power plant is the ultimate power source of the future. Requiring a large sum of money, it is clean, reliable, provides a lot of power and has no risk of having a meltdown.

SimCity 3000[]

Coal[]

The coal power plant is a cheap source of electricity per MWh, but also produces the most pollution.

Oil[]

The oil power plant is similar to coal but yields more electricity, produces slightly less pollution compared to coal power plants, but is more expensive.

Gas[]

The gas power plant is a lot cleaner than coal but has half the capacity.

Nuclear[]

The nuclear power plant produces lots of power, is expensive, very low pollution, but carries a risk of a nuclear meltdown if it is destroyed, overused, or if it ages out. Demolish before it blows up to prevent a meltdown.

Solar[]

The solar power plant is similar to the one on SimCity 2000, but isn't at the whim of the weather.

Wind[]

The wind power plant is cheap but barely generates electricity, it is more effective when built on the top of hills (including along shores).

Microwave[]

The microwave power plant is clean and generates a lot of power but is expensive, unlike in SimCity 2000, there isn't the risk of a misaimed beam causing havoc.

Fusion[]

The fusion power plant is clean and generates a lot of power but is very expensive, unlike nuclear there isn't the risk of a meltdown.

SimCity 4[]

Below are all of the power plants available in the vanilla (un-modded) version of SimCity 4.

Wind[]

Cost: §500
Monthly Cost: §50
Power Generated: 200 MWh/Month
Cheap to build and squeaky clean

The wind power plant generates 200 Megawatt hours per month of electricity. Its maintenance costs are §50 per month or equal to §0.25 per MWh. Due to its small output, a player often has to plop entire farms of these power plants to generate enough electricity just for a small city. It takes up a small area of 1 × 2 tiles.

Pros:
– No pollution
– Small area (1×2)
– Low cost per tower
Cons:
– Low power output
– Very low efficiency/very high cost-to-power ratio (§0.25/MWh)

Natural Gas[]

Cost: §9,000
Monthly Cost: §400
Power Generated: 3,000 MWh/Month
Moderate pollution

The natural gas power plant generates 3,000 Megawatt hours per month of electricity. Its maintenance costs are §400 per month or equal to §0.13 per MWh. It produces moderate amounts of pollution, it is a rather inefficient plant.

Pros:
– Least pollution of all 'dirty' power plants
– Lowest cost of all 'dirty' power plants
– Balance of power output and pollution
Cons:
– Low efficiency/high cost-to-power ratio (§0.13/MWh)
– Higher monthly cost than Coal

Coal[]

Cost: §10,000
Monthly Cost: §250
Power Generated: 6,000 MWh/Month
Heaviest pollution

The coal power plant generates 6,000 Megawatt hours per month of electricity. Its maintenance costs are §250 per month or equal to §0.041 per MWh. It produces the heaviest amount of pollution of all power plants, but has the best efficiency or cost-to-power ratio of §0.0417 per MWh.

Pros:
– High efficiency/cost-to-power ratio (§0.041/MWh)
– Low monthly cost
– Good power output
Cons:
– Heaviest polluting power plant

Oil[]

Cost: §17,000
Monthly Cost: §600
Power Generated: 7,000 MWh/Month
Heavy pollution

The oil power plant generates 7,000 Megawatt hours per month of electricity. Its maintenance costs are §600 per month or equal to §0.086 per MWh. It produces heavy pollution, has a high construction and monthly cost, but produces the most power of the initial power plants.

Pros:
– Good power output
– More efficient than Natural Gas (power output vs. monthly cost)
Cons:
– Heavy pollution
– High monthly cost
– High construction cost

Solar[]

Cost: §30,000
Monthly Cost: §1,000
Power Generated: 5,000 MWh/Month
Very clean and safe power

The solar power plant generates 5,000 Megawatt hours per month of electricity. Its maintenance costs are §1,000 per month or equal to §0.2 per MWh. This plant produces no pollution, but takes up a lot of space and is rather expensive to construct and maintain.

It is unlocked as a reward for having 3,000 high wealth residents. It can also be earned by doing the Monorail mission (must have a circulatory monorail system. After completing the mission it will be available.

Pros:
– Clean and safe power
– Decent power output
Cons:
– Low efficiency (power output vs. monthly cost)
– Has unlock requirements
– Large area
– Very high construction cost

Nuclear[]

Cost: §40,000
Monthly Cost: §3,000
Power Generated: 16,000 MWh/Month
Possibility of meltdown

The nuclear power plant generates 16,000 Megawatt hours per month of electricity. Its maintenance costs are §3,000 per month or equal to §0.1875 per MWh. This plant produces no pollution, but has a risk of a Nuclear Meltdown if the plant is too old or has been on fire for a long time.

The power plant is unlocked by having a total city size of 85,000 and having total city energy demand plus deals of 25,000. This plant is also unlocked by completing the evil school bus mission Study for Profit, which gives the mayor §20,000, but takes away 60 mayor rating.

Pros:
– Clean power (unless meltdown)
– Very high power output
Cons:
– Possibility of nuclear meltdown
– High construction cost
– Has unlock requirements
– Low efficiency (power output vs. monthly cost)

Hydrogen[]

Cost: §100,000
Monthly Cost: §10,000
Power Generated: 50,000 MWh/Month
Clean and reliable

The hydrogen power plant generates 50,000 MWh of electricity. Its maintenance costs are §10,000 per month or equal to §0.2 per MWh. It is clean, safe and has a very high power output, but is very expensive to construction, maintain and hard to unlock.

The power plant is unlocked by having a city with a high-tech industry population of 4,000 and a total city energy demand plus deals of 30,000.

The Hydrogen Power Plant is the counterpart to the Fusion power plant from SimCity 2000 and SimCity 3000.

Pros:
– Clean, safe and reliable power
– Very high power output
Cons:
– Very high construction and maintenance costs
– Low efficiency (power output vs. monthly cost)
– Has unlock requirements

Waste to Energy[]

Cost: §25,000
Monthly Cost: §1,000
Power Generated: 5,000 MWh/Month
Incinerates garbage to produce power, also produces heavy pollution

The Waste to Energy Plant generates 5,000 Megawatt hours per month of electricity. Its maintenance costs are §1,000 per month or equal to §0.2 per MWh. This plant burns garbage to produce power. This eliminates a city's garbage problem, but produces heavy pollution.

Pros:
– Converts city's garbage into power
– Decent power output
Cons:
– High construction and maintenance costs
– Very high pollution
– Low efficiency (power output vs. monthly cost)

SimCity Societies[]

The power plants have been placed into two groups, one being an eyesore which can have a negative impact on an area (except for other eyesores), while the other group doesn't. This grouping is to simulate real-world cases that can be a result of a building function.

Coal[]

  • Produce: 500 Power
  • Smog: High
  • Carbon Pollution: Heavy

Oil[]

  • Produce: 500 Power
  • Smog: Medium
  • Carbon Pollution: Medium

Natural[]

  • Produce: 750 Power
  • Smog: Low
  • Carbon Pollution: Low

BioMass[]

  • Produce: 100 Power
  • Smog: High
  • Carbon Pollution: Low

Trash Incinerator[]

  • Produce: 100 Power
  • Smog: High
  • Carbon Pollution: Heavy

Super Coal[]

  • Produce: 2,000 Power
  • Smog: High
  • Carbon Pollution: Heavy

Coal-Hydrogen[]

  • Produce: 500 Power
  • Smog: Low
  • Carbon Pollution: Low

Nuclear[]

  • Produce: 1,500 Power
  • Smog: None
  • Carbon Pollution: None

Wind Farm[]

  • Produce: 25 Power
  • Smog: None
  • Carbon Pollution: None
  • Non-eyesore

Major Wind Farm[]

  • Produce: 50 Power
  • Smog: None
  • Carbon Pollution: None
  • Non-eyesore

Solar[]

  • Produce: 100 Power
  • Smog: None
  • Carbon Pollution: None
  • Non-eyesore

Hydrogen[]

  • Produce: 600 Power
  • Smog: None
  • Carbon Pollution: None
  • Non-eyesore

SimCity (2013)[]

Coal[]

Imports coal directly from the Global Market to generate enough power for even a large city. Also, pollution. A lot of pollution.
  • Cost: §17,000 Upkeep: -§450/hr

The coal power plant are cheap to lay down, but the pollution levels are very high. Coal can be imported for cheap from the global market and can be paid for easily if the player specializes in coal mining. Generates 75MW per module.

Modules[]

  • Coal Power Plant Sign: Someone has smeared "Clean coal my foot!" onto this sign.
    • Cost: §200 Upkeep: No cost
  • Dirty Coal Generator: For when all other considerations are secondary to cost. Requires a decent amount of coal to operate and pollutes a lot.
    • Power generated: 75 MW
    • Coal burn rate: 4.3 tons/day
    • Air pollution rate: High
    • Cost: §5,000 Upkeep: -§425/hr
  • Advanced Coal Generator: Costs more but produces less pollution as well as making decent amount of power. Y'know, for when you care about the environment a tiny bit.
    • Power generated: 75 MW
    • Coal burn rate: 8.6 tons/day
    • Air pollution rate: Medium
    • Cost: §15,000 Upkeep: -§375/hr
  • Clean Coal Generator: This is as 'clean' as it's going to get, bub. This is coal, after all.
    • Power generated: 75 MW
    • Coal burn rate: 5.8 tons/day
    • Air pollution rate: Low
    • Cost: §20,000 Upkeep: -§600/hr

Oil[]

Everything runs on oil, right? Imports crude oil directly from the Global Market. Converts crude oil into power... and pollution.
  • Cost: §27,500 Upkeep: -§856/hr

The oil power plant generate more power and are cleaner than coal power plants. However, it has a higher cost to place and run. Oil can be imported from the global market, although it is more expensive compared to coal, or the player can extract oil from a drilling city. Generates 150MW per module.

Modules[]

  • Oil Power Plant Sign: This *cough* sign says *cough* "Dedicated to the Environment" *cough* *cough*.
    • Cost: §200 Upkeep: No cost
  • Conventional Oil Generator: Crude oil is used to convert water into steam to produce power.
    • Power generated: 150 MW
    • Oil burn rate: 36k barrels/day
    • Air pollution rate: High
    • Cost: §7,500 Upkeep: -§756/hr
  • Combustion Turbine Generator: Crude oil is burned under pressure to produce power.
    • Power generated: 150 MW
    • Oil burn rate: 12k barrels/day
    • Air pollution rate: Medium
    • Cost: §20,000 Upkeep: -§1,185/hr
  • Clean Oil Generator: After crude oil is used in a combustion turbine generator, excess exhaust is used to convert water into steam.
    • Power generated: 150 MW
    • Oil burn rate: 24k barrels/day
    • Air pollution rate: Low
    • Cost: §27,000 Upkeep: -§1,295/hr

Wind[]

Harness the green energy of the wind by building a sprawling wind farm.
  • Cost: §8,000 - Upkeep: -§80/hr

The wind power plant are cheap and good to start a city on. Citizens love them for the look and how friendly they are towards the environment, though they create very little power unless the wind speed are high. The wind power plant is recommended for smaller towns, cliffed cities, or a region with a School of Engineering so the vertical turbines can be unlocked to increase the effectiveness.

If Cities of Tomorrow is installed, the effectiveness can be even farther improved by boosting power production by 200% through the Wind Power Amplifier, although this requires 1,250 ControlNet.

Modules[]

  • Service Road: Allows workers to get out to the windmills. Has underground lines for power transmission. Extend the Service Road to fit more turbines if you need to!
    • Cost: Free
  • Wind Power Sign: Put down a sign so all the pizza delivery drivers stop going past you.
    • Cost: §200 - Upkeep: No cost
  • Small Horizontal Turbine: The Small Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine produces a small amount of electricity. Must be plopped along service roads.
    • Power generated: 3 MW in 10 mph winds
    • Cost: §5,000 - Upkeep: -§40/hr
  • Large Horizontal Turbine: The Large Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine produces a moderate amount of electricity. Must be plopped along a service road.
    • Power generated: 5.1 MW in 10 mph winds
    • Cost: §10,000 - Upkeep: -§60/hr
  • Vertical Turbine: It looks crazy! It also produces huge amounts of power. Service roads only please!
    • Power generated: 15 MW in 10 mph winds
    • Cost: §20,000 - Upkeep: -§170/hr
  • Wind Power Amplifier: Increases power plant efficiency but requires increased maintenance cost and a connection to ControlNet.
    • ControlNet usage: 1,250 ControlNet
    • Power production bonus: 200%
    • Air pollution rate: None
    • Cost: §40,000 - Upkeep: -§500/hr

Solar[]

Collect the power of the sun itself to give your city clean energy. By day, your solar panels absorb power. At night, they use power stored in batteries.
  • Cost: §33,000 Upkeep: -§145/hr

The solar power plant are more expensive compared to the wind power plant and also cause no pollution. The basic solar array takes a lot of space in order to generate a reasonable amount of power, while the concentrated solar array produces more power and takes less space, they however cost a lot of money and requires research through the University. The power plant only generate power during the day.

Like the wind power plant, if Cities of Tomorrow is installed, the effectiveness can be even farther improved by boosting power production by 200% through the Solar Power Amplifier, although this also requires 1,250 ControlNet.

Modules[]

  • Solar Power Sign: They'll see the sign. It'll open up their eyes. They'll see the sign.
    • Cost: §200 Upkeep: No cost
  • Fixed Solar Array: Bulky but cheap, these panels are the bread and butter of solar power.
    • Power generated: 12.1 MW during peak hours
    • Cost: §16,000 Upkeep: -§105/hr
  • Concentrated Solar Array: These futuristic dishes are small, efficient, and expensive. They pack much more power than the basic panel and take up much less space!
    • Power generated: 37.5 MW during peak hours
    • Cost: §40,000 Upkeep: -§320/hr
  • Solar Power Amplifier: Increases power plant efficiency but requires increased maintenance cost and a connection to ControlNet.
    • ControlNet usage: 1,250 ControlNet
    • Power production bonus: 200%
    • Air pollution rate: None
    • Cost: §40,000 Upkeep: -§500/hr

Nuclear[]

Educated sims and large amounts of water can create free, albeit radioactive, power. Careful! If this power plant is staffed with unskilled workers, it may emit variable amounts of radiation.
  • Cost: §145,000 Upkeep: -§1,300/hr

The nuclear power plant generate more power and are cleaner than coal power plants. However, it has a higher cost and a risk of having a meltdown. It also requires lots of water to run. To get tier two or three power plants it requires a University and school of engineering. It is a good idea to place the plant in an Electronics based or University city as it emits dangerous radiation if it is staffed with uneducated workers.

Modules[]

  • Nuclear Power Plant Sign: When headless fish start showing up in the daily catch, this will show people where to go.
    • Cost: §200 Upkeep: No cost
  • Gen I Thermal Reactor: The standard reactor requires more water for coolant, but adds jobs and produces power that's almost problem free. Almost.
    • Power generated: 200 MW
    • Cost: §45,000 Upkeep: -§1,200/hr
  • Gen II Thermal Reactor: This mid-sized generator uses slightly more water and skilled workers, but produces slightly more power.
    • Power generated: 400 MW
    • Cost: §75,000 Upkeep: -§2,300/hr
  • Fast Neutron Reactor: Uses more water and skilled workers, but produces power and three-eyed llamas.
    • Power generated: 600 MW
    • Cost: §130,000 Upkeep: -§3,200/hr

SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow

Wave[]

Placed along the shoreline, this power plant generates small amounts of cheap, clean power.
  • Cost: §60,000 Upkeep: -§450/hr

The wave power plant requires a weak ControlNet, so it needs a power source prior. Can only be placed on a coastline and needs to be researched at the Academy.

Modules[]

  • Standard Wave Generator: Plop in water near Wave Power Plant to increase power output.
    • ControlNet usage: 500 ControlNet
    • Power generated: 30 MW
    • Cost: §45,000 Upkeep: -§400/hr
  • Advanced Wave Generator: This advanced generator produces more power than a Standard Wave Generator.
    • ControlNet usage: 2,500 ControlNet
    • Power generated: 105 MW
    • Cost: §110,000 Upkeep: -§900/hr

Fusion[]

Generates massive amounts of clean power at a huge cost. The fusion reactor requires a jumpstart of power from an existing source to begin power generation.
  • Cost: §155,000 Upkeep: -§1,500/hr

The ultimate source of power, a fusion power plant has more power than nuclear power plant but requires the Academy to research and produce ControlNet, an existing power for it, and being ignited with an existing power plant, thus turning off your cities' power for a short time.

The advanced fusion reactor, which also has to be researched in the Academy, produces the highest amount of electricity in the game, at 2,400 MW, which is more than enough to power an entire city and its neighboring cities around it.

Modules[]

  • Standard Fusion Reactor: Increase your Fusion Power Plant's output with this additional reactor.
    • ControlNet usage: 1,250 ControlNet
    • Power generated: 200 MW
    • Cost: §55,000 Upkeep: -§1,400/hr
  • Advanced Fusion Reactor: This reactor provides substantial increase of power generation, provided you can afford it.
    • ControlNet usage: 2,500 ControlNet
    • Power generated: 2,400 MW
    • Cost: §500,000 Upkeep: -§12,800/hr

SimCity BuildIt[]

There are eight types of power plants available in SimCity BuildIt. Power is delivered from power plants connected to roads to provide service. Demolishing any building will return half the cost.

Main article: List of service buildings in SimCity BuildIt
  • Wind Power Plant
  • Coal Power Plant
  • Deluxe Wind Power Plant
  • Solar Power Plant
  • Oil Power Plant
  • Nuclear Power Plant
  • Fusion Power Plant
  • OMEGA Power Plant
Advertisement