The one rule that surprises every new player
Satisfactory does not slow your machines when power runs short. The moment total demand exceeds total supply and every Power Storage on the grid is empty, the circuit breaker trips and every connected building stops at once. There is no brownout warning, just a shutdown and a sound you hear across the whole map.
That single fact drives every power decision below. You are not balancing a flow; you are keeping supply above demand with a margin.
Generator tiers (MW per building)
| Generator | MW | Fuel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biomass Burner | 30 | Leaves, wood, biomass | Scales down to demand; the only generator that ramps |
| Coal-Powered Generator | 75 | Coal + water | First stable, hands-off source |
| Fuel-Powered Generator | 250 | Fuel / Turbofuel | Core of mid-game power |
| Geothermal Generator | 100 / 200 / 400 | None (geyser) | Fixed by node purity: impure / normal / pure |
| Nuclear Power Plant | 2,500 | Uranium / Plutonium / Ficsonium rod + water | Endgame; see the nuclear guide |
| Alien Power Augmenter | +500 (+10% / +30% grid) | None / powered | Boosts the whole connected grid, not a standalone supply |
Numbers verified on the official wiki (Power page, v1.2). Geothermal output depends entirely on the geyser’s purity: a pure-node geyser at 400 MW is worth more than three coal generators in a single building.
The trip rule, exactly
- A grid trips when consumption > production and all Power Storages are drained.
- It is instant and total: not “machines run slower,” but “everything halts.”
- Reset by interacting
Eon any Power Pole, generator, or Power Switch on that grid and pulling the lever. - Before you reset, add generation or cut a load first, otherwise it trips again the instant it powers on.
- If you disconnect all generators at once (for example via a Power Switch), buildings simply switch off with no trip; reconnect supply and they resume without a reset.
Power Storages change the math: as long as they hold charge, they discharge instantly to cover the gap, buying you time to fix production. They do not prevent a trip forever; once empty, the grid still drops.
The 30% headroom rule
Build generation to roughly 130% of your current draw, not 100%. Two reasons:
- Demand only grows. Every new production line you add later eats into your margin.
- The Hoverpack trap. The Hoverpack draws 100 MW by default, and that draw does not appear on the power graph. On a small grid this hidden load can trip you for “no reason.” Unequip the Hoverpack before pulling the breaker lever to reset a tripped grid.
A Power Switch is your friend here: split a risky new section onto its own sub-grid so a trip there does not take down the whole base while you debug it.
Which generator, when
- Biomass (30 MW) gets you to coal. Hand-feed it; it ramps to demand so it will not trip a tiny early grid.
- Coal (75 MW) is the first source you can walk away from. Pair each generator with a water line.
- Fuel (250 MW) takes over mid-game once you have oil.
- Geothermal (100 to 400 MW) is free power locked to geyser locations. Treat each geyser as a permanent grid anchor.
- Nuclear (2,500 MW) is the endgame. The challenge is not the rods; it is the waste. Read the nuclear guide before you commit.