Explore SimCity 2000's power plant options. Compare invention year, megawatt output, lifespan, cost, and cost per megawatt for Coal, Nuclear, Fusion, and more.
This guide provides information on the various power plants available in SimCity 2000, detailing their statistics and costs.
| Type | Invention Year* | Megawatts | Life Span | Cost($) | Cost per Megawatt(@) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | 1900 | 200 | 50yr | 4,000 | 20 |
| Hydro-electric | 1900 | 20 | N/A | 400 | 20 |
| Oil | 1900 | 220 | 50yr | 6,600 | 30 |
| Gas | 1950 | 50 | 50yr | 2,000 | 40 |
| Nuclear | 1955 | 500 | 50yr | 15,000 | 30 |
| Wind | 1980 | 4 | N/A | 100 | 25 |
| Solar | 1990 | 50 | 50yr | 1,300 | 26 |
| Microwave | 2020 | 1600 | 50yr | 28,000 | 17.50 |
| Fusion | 2050 | 2500 | 50yr | 40,000 | 16 |
* These are approximate dates listed in the game's manual. All inventions will occur usually within 10 years of these dates.
@ "Cost per Megawatt" really refers to the cost per unit of the total capacity of the plant. When it comes to total "watt-hours" (usually kWh in the United States), a measurement of how much actual power is ever produced by the plant, the hydroelectric and wind plants will ultimately win out. This is because the other plants can only produce so much power in their 50-year lifespans. Then they are destroyed and replaced. Hydroelectric and wind plants last forever, meaning the "watt-hour" unit cost for these plants gets smaller and smaller as time passes, eventually reaching near zero. The more you know!
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