Perhaps there could be nuclear reactors which can be use to power certain devices but have a tendancy if not looked after by an NPC to blow up and destroy your building! Perhaps the power acquired could be used to make advanced technology.
Maybe even radioactive fog, which creeps over a certain area for a while forcing the player to build elsewhere, and not instantly grab the building materials dropped by the explosion
all sorts of mech, suits etc could be edited to survive in intense radiation, or even adapted to collect it and use it as a weapon