Does anyone ever make Nuclear Power Plants?

[Possibility]

When I read the description of a nuclear power plant having a chance of going critical, I have never made one. I think the +2 unhealthiness from a coal plant is better.

Possibility

[ColdPhoenix]

No. I usually race to plastics to get the Three Gorges unless there isn't a suitable city for it in which case I use coal plants.

I don't know how likely a meltdown is but I do know that I'd be very annoyed if it happened!

[rah]

Haven't yet.

[eris]

A couple of Coal Plants in key cities that won't hit there healthy cap and need the early boost, then either Hydro Plants or Three Gorges Dam. If I don't get the Three Gorges Dam, or don't plan to for some reason, then a couple more Coal Plants in places that cannot build Hydro Plants. Nuclear Plants carry a risk I am not ready to take and come later than I want to wait. I think they should get some extra boost in hammers or something in order to make them more tempting.

[DrSpike]

I have when health was really a constraint and hydro power isn't available. The chances of a meltdown are pretty low - it's only happened to me in one game.

[Possibility]

What happens in a meltdown? Is it the same as a nuclear strike? In that you loose a bunch of population, loose a bunch of buildings, loose a bunch of military units, and have fallout to clean up?

[DrSpike]

Yup.

[AshenPlanet]

.

This is one of the stupid unrealistic parts of the game trying to preach against nukes.

All the nuclear meltdowns in the world (3mile, chernobyl, etc.), and all the nuclear bombs used in the world (hiroshima/nagasaki, nevada desert, etc.) don't even come remotely close (less than .1%) to the contributions towards global warming that railroads have brought, and the same is true for highways, factories, airports, etc..
Each of those factors have well over 1000 times more contribution to global warming than the meltodowns and several exploded nuclear bombs that have been used.

And yet, in every game you use nuclear plants, you'll most likely have 1 meltdown, and as soon as the first plant melts or the first nuke is used, global warming starts showing up all over the place, while you can build all the railroads, factories, forges, airports, and coal plants you want without an iota of global warming taking place even though those things are all far more polluting than nuclear.
Alpha centauri had a far better system of global warming than civ 4, and all pollution contributed towards it, not just nukes.

So, even though I used them in my first few games of civ 4, I never touch nuclear plants anymore.
It's also not worth waiting for 3 gorges which can come a long long time after you've gotten factories.
You can make a coal plant, suck up a little pollution for a while (which has no long lasting effects anyway), and replace with hydro plants later or 3gorges or recycling centers.
When replaced by hydro, nuclear, 3gorges, or recycling centers, coal plants stop polluting your city, so there's no good reason not to build them.

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[Brizey]

I also think that nuclear power is the best alternative. However, a 1% chance over maybe 50 years or so matches reality here in the US. The problem is that the game does not properly represent the effects. Chernobyl was not anywhere nearly as bad as the in game effects. Three Mile Island was really a non-event except for the fear it generated.

[joncnunn]

Agreed with Brizey; at the reported frequently, the effect should instead be something like an extra unhappy citizen in every city for X turns & all sheilds towards an ongoing nuclear plant lost. (Three Mile Island basically stoped construction of new nuclear power plants in America)

[Addled Platypus]

thinking of doing a game where every city has one

I want a meltdown !

[Kekkonen]

Does Fusion still eliminate the chance of a meltdown?

[AshenPlanet]

.

No, even after fusion, you can have meltdowns.

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[DrSpike]

Though it's pretty unlikely as you should be done in a few more turns.

[Kekkonen]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Though it's pretty unlikely as you should be done in a few more turns.

Good point.