Coal

SimCity 2000's coal power plants are cheap for new cities but become insufficient as your city grows.

Coal power plants are the dirtiest and grimiest option available in SimCity 2000. They are also fairly cheap, making them a good choice for a new city. However, as your city grows in size, coal will become too insubstantial to meet demand. You will want to replace them with more efficient and powerful facilities later in the game.