Power Improvements Overview[]
Power improvements provide power to your cities while consuming their respective fuel source, and are critical as 4 out of the 6 groups of buildings require power in the city to function.
Coal Power[]
- Powers: 500 Infrastructure
- Construction Cost: $5000
- Upkeep: $1200 + 1.2 coal per day ($100 + .1 coal per turn)
- Pollution: +8 Points
Coal is one of the two basic power plants. It provides the cheapest power, but generates the most pollution.
When should coal be used?[]
New nations with coal as a resource should use coal power until they are ready to transition to nuclear power. It is a good idea to keep at least enough coal mines around to ensure a sufficient supply in case of a blockade.
Oil Power[]
- Powers: 500 Infrastructure
- Construction Cost: $7000
- Upkeep: $1800 + 1.2 oil per day ($150 + .1 oil per turn)
- Pollution: +6 Points
Oil is one of the two basic power plants. It is slightly more expensive than coal on the running side of things, but the reduced pollution increases your tax income slightly, so overall the two come out even.
When should oil be used?[]
New nations with oil as a resource should use oil power until they are ready to transition to nuclear power. It is a good idea to keep at least enough oil wells around to ensure a sufficient supply in case of a blockade.
Nuclear Power[]
- Powers: 2000 Infrastructure
- Construction Cost: $500000 + 100 steel
- Upkeep: $10500 + 2.40 uranium per day ($875 + .20 uranium per turn per 1k infra)
- Pollution: +0 Points
Nuclear Power is one of the two advanced power options (the other being wind power). In exchange for increased running costs you free up several improvement slots & eliminate pollution. Also, regardless of what the in-game description might say, they do not meltdown.
When should Nuclear be used?[]
Nuclear power should be part of the end goal for all of your cities. It's the best long term power plant, and while the increased running cost may seem like a downer, this is more than offset by the freed-up improvement slots that can be used for other things, as well as the massive reduction in pollution. It is recommended that nations get nuclear power plants as soon as they go over 1000 infra, or around their 5th to 10th city.
Wind Power[]
- Powers: 250 Infrastructure
- Construction Cost: $30000 + 30 aluminum
- Upkeep: $500 ($42 per turn)
- Pollution: +0 Points
Wind power is an advanced power option. In exchange for a large buy in & heavy use of space, you gain no pollution & low running costs with no consumption of resources.
When should Wind be used?[]
Wind power should never be used as a main method of power; instead, it is a good substitution for high infrastructure cities from 1000 to 1200 infra before replacing it with a standard coal or oil power plant, as they consume slightly less income per day. Some experienced players also use them in 2200 or 2250 infra builds alongside a nuclear power plant.