Satisfactory · Game data 1.2.4.0
Coal power: generators, water and ratios
Build a self-sustaining coal plant with enough fuel, water and transport capacity for every generator.
Start with the whole supply chain
At 100% clock speed a Coal-Powered Generator makes 75 MW and consumes 45 m³ of water per minute. Ordinary coal burns at 15 items per minute. Eight generators therefore make 600 MW from 120 coal and 360 m³ of water per minute. Three Water Extractors at their standard 120 m³/min supply that water.
Choose a site with both deep water and a practical coal route. Put the generators near the water and bring coal by belt when this avoids pumping a large volume uphill. Keep this fuel supply separate from steel production, or allocate enough coal to cover both demands.
The gross output is not all available to your factory: the water extractors, miner and any pipeline pumps need power too. The interactive calculator separates water extraction from the rest of that supporting load.
Do not squeeze 360 through a 300 pipe
A Mk.1 pipeline carries at most 300 m³/min. Combining three extractors into one Mk.1 trunk before branching to eight generators creates a bottleneck even though total production matches demand. Use separately supplied branches or feed the generator manifold at multiple points so no individual segment must carry more than its capacity.
One straightforward arrangement is two banks of four generators, each supplied by two extractors at 75% clock. Each bank needs 180 m³/min and fits within a Mk.1 pipe. This uses four extractors instead of three, but keeps the routes easy to inspect. The calculator uses the minimum number at 100%; choose the arrangement that fits your terrain.
Commission the plant
- Use an independent starter power supply to run the coal miner, water extractors and pumps.
- Check the entire coal belt, including lifts and short pieces at splitters. Its slowest section must carry the required fuel rate.
- Fill the water network and the generator input buffers before adding the factory load. Check pump direction and head lift on every climb.
- Start the generators and connect their supporting machines to the new supply. Keep a way to power the support machines again after a blackout.
- Watch several production cycles. Falling water buffers or emptying coal buffers show a supply problem even if the grid initially looks stable.