How to Set Up a Coal Power Plant and Generator in…

Creating solutions for complex problems is at the heart of Satisfactory's gameplay, and early on, generating electricity is going to be one of the main issues many players will have to resolve. Coal Generators can satisfy early power supply needs with great efficiency, but getting them to work may be a little confusing.

Players are going to need tons of power to make their factory purr, and Coal Generators can help them reach that goal before more advanced power options become available. This guide covers the very basics of setting up Coal Power Generators as well as some Satisfactory tips on how to create efficient coal power plant layouts.

How To Unlock And Build Coal Powered Generators In Satisfactory

The Coaled Power Generator in Satisfactory's build menu — Satisfactory Coal Powered Generator build menu

Coal Power Generators become available once players reach Tier 3, which means players will have to finish building a Space Elevator first. You can find these generators in the Power tab of the build menu, next to the Biomass Burner.

To build a Coal Generator, players will need Rotors, Cables, and Reinforced Iron Plates in Satisfactory. Due to the processes needed to craft these components as well as all the other machines that make coal generators work, players will need to rely on Biomass for a longer while.

Satisfactory - Simple Coal Power Plant Layout

Layout for a single coal generator in Satisfactory — Satisfactory Single Coal Generator layout

Coal Generators require two resources: coal and water. Before building one, make sure that both resources are nearby. Water can be pumped to Coal Generators using Water Extractors, while coal can be delivered via conveyor belts. Be sure to build a coal mining platform near your future power plant's location.

To make a basic Coal Generator setup, create a foundation over a body of water, then build a Water Extractor and a temporary Biomass Burner to power it up. Place a Coal Generator, then connect both your Water Extractor and coal mining platform to it via pipes and conveyor belts respectively. As long as the Coal Generator has coal and water, it will continue to produce electricity. Once a generator starts producing power, you can remove the Biomass Burner and connect the Water Extractor to the Coal Generator instead.

Multiple Coal Generator Layout

Basic coal power generator plant layout for Satisfactory — Satisfactory Coal Power Plant layout

Setting up multiple Coal Generators in a line can be tricky since the pipes and belts might conflict with each other. Using Portable Miners in Satisfactory isn't enough for an operation like this, so those are out of the question too. To properly connect your generators to your belts and pipes, use Conveyor Lifts, Conveyor Splitters, and Pipe Junctions

Coal Generator - Water Ratio

Each generator uses 45 cubic meters of water per minute to run at 100%, and each extractor can provide water at 120 m³/min. Taking these into account, the most efficient ratio for coal generators to water extractors is 8:3, or eight generators for every three extractors.

The problem here is that the setup will get bottlenecked by pipelines. The standard Mk. 1 Pipeline can only carry 300 m³/min of water, which means players won't be able to make full use of the 360 m³/min rate provided by the Water Extractors. This is fine, as it doesn't really impact operations, but it's something to keep in mind, especially once players start adjusting the clock rates of their machines.

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