Power plants, storage and grid

Generation

Some power plants burn fuel. Others run on wind, sunlight, a river or heat from the ground.

The prices below are list prices. In the game, a price falls as you build more of the same kind. The ground that you build on also adds to the price. How the power grid simulation works explains which plants run, and when.

Wood-Fired Steam Plant

A basic biomass plant that you can build with local materials. It uses more fuel per MWh than later plants. All wood plants share a limited regional supply of forest and farm residues.

Capacity

18 MW

Fuel

Biomass

Efficiency

22%

List price

$26 million

Build time

8 months

Lifetime

30 years

Unlocked by

Available from the start

Coal Power Station

A coal plant with low operating costs, high emissions and slow output changes. It needs water for cooling.

Capacity

60 MW

Fuel

Coal

Efficiency

31%

List price

$74 million

Build time

1.7 years

Lifetime

40 years

Unlocked by

Steam Plant Works

Supercritical Coal Plant

Uses about a third less fuel and emits a third less CO₂ per MWh than a Coal Power Station. When carbon charges rise, its operating cost increases.

Capacity

120 MW

Fuel

Coal

Efficiency

45%

List price

$124 million

Build time

2.8 years

Lifetime

45 years

Unlocked by

High-Pressure Boiler Works

Lignite Power Station

Burns brown coal from a Lignite Mine. The mine must be within 12 km of the plant. The fuel costs almost nothing to dig. Each MWh emits about 1.3 tonnes of CO₂, more than any other plant. It starts slowly. It cannot run below half of its rating. It uses water from the mine for cooling. It needs no river or lake.

Capacity

50 MW

Fuel

Lignite

Efficiency

30%

List price

$82 million

Build time

2.5 years

Lifetime

45 years

Unlocked by

Steam Plant Works

Open-Cycle Gas Turbine

A gas turbine that reaches full output in minutes. It uses more fuel per MWh than a combined-cycle plant. It can cover a sudden shortfall.

Capacity

55 MW

Fuel

Natural Gas

Efficiency

36%

List price

$34 million

Build time

8 months

Lifetime

30 years

Unlocked by

Turbomachinery Works

Combined-Cycle Gas Plant

The most efficient fuel plant that you can build. It is flexible enough to follow demand when wind and solar output rises and falls.

Capacity

100 MW

Fuel

Natural Gas

Efficiency

59%

List price

$75 million

Build time

2 years

Lifetime

35 years

Unlocked by

Combined-Cycle Integration

Small Modular Reactor

A nuclear reactor with a 5-year build time, a high construction cost and low fuel costs. It supplies carbon-free power for 60 years. It cannot run below half of its rating. Pair it with storage or flexible plants. Its spent fuel stays on site in casks. The spent fuel costs money every year, even after the reactor closes.

Capacity

60 MW

Fuel

Uranium

Efficiency

34%

List price

$300 million

Build time

5 years

Lifetime

60 years

Unlocked by

Nuclear Programme

Hydrogen Turbine

Makes power from hydrogen with no carbon emissions. It uses stored hydrogen first. Then it buys the rest. Your operating policy can forbid this. Hydrogen is expensive. Compare its fuel cost with the cost of gas plus carbon charges.

Capacity

80 MW

Fuel

Hydrogen

Efficiency

40%

List price

$62 million

Build time

1 year

Lifetime

30 years

Unlocked by

Hydrogen Turbines

Hydroelectric Dam

A dam across a river. Its reservoir holds about a week of full output. The dam can run at full power at the evening peak. When power is cheap, it saves water. The reservoir fills in spring and summer and drains in autumn and winter. River flow sets its yearly output. Connect lines to its powerhouse on the bank. Few sites are suitable. It lasts 80 years.

Capacity

25 MW

Reservoir

7 days at full output

Runs on

River water

List price

$72 million

Build time

2.5 years

Lifetime

80 years

Unlocked by

Hydropower Works

Wind Turbine

One 6 MW turbine per tile. Place several to build a wind farm. The tool stays selected between turbines. Check the wind overlay first. A little more wind makes much more power.

Capacity

6 MW

Runs on

Wind

List price

$9.4 million

Build time

6 months

Lifetime

25 years

Unlocked by

Wind-Turbine Manufacturing

Offshore Wind Turbine

One 15 MW turbine in open water. The wind is steadier and stronger than on land. It costs three times as much per megawatt as a Wind Turbine. Each turbine needs an export cable to the shore.

Capacity

15 MW

Runs on

Wind

List price

$51 million

Build time

1.5 years

Lifetime

27 years

Unlocked by

Offshore Construction

Solar Park

Cheap and fast to build. It makes nothing at night and little in winter. Pair it with storage.

Capacity

45 MW

Runs on

Sunlight

List price

$42 million

Build time

6 months

Lifetime

30 years

Unlocked by

Photovoltaic Manufacturing

Tracked Solar Park

Rows of panels turn to follow the sun. Each MW makes about 15% more than in a fixed park. Most of the gain comes in the morning and evening. The rows must stand apart. A plot therefore holds 30 MW instead of 45 MW. It costs about a tenth more per MW. It fails more often. In strong wind, the rows lie flat.

Capacity

30 MW

Runs on

Sunlight

List price

$31.3 million

Build time

7 months

Lifetime

30 years

Unlocked by

Photovoltaic Manufacturing

Geothermal Plant

Steady, carbon-free power in any weather. Output depends on the site. Each hot field holds a fixed amount of heat. All plants on the same field share it.

Capacity

52 MW

Runs on

Heat from the ground

List price

$190 million

Build time

2.2 years

Lifetime

40 years

Unlocked by

Geothermal Development

Solar Power Tower

Mirrors focus sunlight on a tower to heat molten salt. The hot salt drives a steam turbine. The salt holds 8 hours of full output. With it, the plant can run into the evening and through the night. It needs strong, clear sun. Clouds stop it almost completely. It costs about seven times as much per MW as a Solar Park.

Capacity

30 MW

Stored heat

8 hours at full output

Runs on

Sunlight

Efficiency

40%

List price

$195 million

Build time

2.5 years

Lifetime

30 years

Unlocked by

Concentrating Solar Power

Waste-to-Energy Plant

The towns pay you to take their rubbish. This makes the fuel price negative. Every waste plant shares one limited regional supply of waste.

Capacity

22 MW

Fuel

Waste

Efficiency

28%

List price

$140 million

Build time

1.7 years

Lifetime

35 years

Unlocked by

Municipal Waste Systems

Storage

Storage takes power when there is too much. It gives the power back when there is too little.

Grid Battery

Stores 3 hours of power. It takes 4 months to build. It charges from surplus supply. It discharges when the grid needs power. Its capacity falls with age and use.

Capacity

40 MW

Storage

120 MWh

Round trip

88%

List price

$44 million

Build time

4 months

Lifetime

15 years

Unlocked by

Battery Manufacturing

Long-Duration Battery

Stores 10 hours of power. It holds twice the energy of a Grid Battery for 1.5 times the price. It lasts 25 years instead of 15. Its wear costs about $2/MWh, compared with $18/MWh for a Grid Battery. Its round trip efficiency is only 60%. It charges in low-demand hours and from surplus power.

Capacity

25 MW

Storage

250 MWh

Round trip

60%

List price

$68 million

Build time

10 months

Lifetime

25 years

Unlocked by

Long-Duration Batteries

Electrolyser Plant

Turns surplus power into hydrogen. A Hydrogen Turbine burns the hydrogen to make power again. To hold more than a day of hydrogen, build a Hydrogen Tank Farm or a Salt Cavern Store. It cannot run below 15% of its rating. If the surplus is less than 9 MW, it stays off and the surplus is curtailed. Your operating policy sets when it can run.

Capacity

60 MW

Storage

600 MWhth

Power to hydrogen

72%

List price

$96 million

Build time

1.2 years

Lifetime

25 years

Unlocked by

Hydrogen Production & Storage

Hydrogen Tank Farm

High-pressure tanks for hydrogen storage. You can build it anywhere in 6 months. A Salt Cavern Store holds over 40 times as much for less money. However, it takes 2.5 years to build. Use a Hydrogen Turbine to make power from the stored hydrogen.

Storage

900 MWhth

List price

$78 million

Build time

6 months

Lifetime

30 years

Unlocked by

Hydrogen Production & Storage

Salt Cavern Store

Stores 40 GWh of hydrogen underground. It loses almost none of it. When it is full, it can run a Hydrogen Turbine at full output for 8 days. One Electrolyser Plant fills it in about 5.5 weeks. It takes 2.5 years to build.

Storage

40,000 MWhth

List price

$70 million

Build time

2.5 years

Lifetime

50 years

Unlocked by

Hydrogen Production & Storage

Gas Spheres

Two steel pressure spheres that hold 1.2 GWh of gas: about 4 days of gas from one Biogas Digester. When the domes of the digesters are full and no gas plant burns the biogas, it goes into the spheres. Your gas plants burn it before they buy gas. You can also tell the store to sell the gas to the market. It holds natural gas only when you order it. It costs much more per MWh than a Gas Storage Cavern. However, it takes only 9 months to build.

Storage

1,200 MWhth

List price

$16 million

Build time

9 months

Lifetime

40 years

Unlocked by

Anaerobic Digestion

Gas Storage Cavern

Stores 150 GWh of natural gas underground, about 5 weeks of a Combined-Cycle Gas Plant at full output. Buy gas when it is cheap, by hand or automatically. Your gas plants burn it when the market price is above what you paid. You can also sell it back to the market above a price that you set. Gas is most expensive in winter. When the domes of the digesters are full, their biogas also goes into this store. Your gas plants burn the biogas first. It takes 3 years to build.

Storage

150,000 MWhth

List price

$58 million

Build time

3 years

Lifetime

50 years

Unlocked by

Subsurface Engineering

Carbon capture and synthetic gas

These two units use power. They do not make it.

Lignite Mine

Digs brown coal for the Lignite Power Stations within 12 km. If two mines reach the same plants, they share them. It digs 1.2 million tonnes a year, enough for two plants at full output. It keeps a week of coal in its yard. Build it beside a lignite seam. It reserves 5 by 5 tiles there for its pit. The pit gets wider as the mine digs the coal. It reserves 3 by 3 tiles behind the pit for its spoil heap. Its excavators use electricity. Connect it to the grid.

Load

5 MW

List price

$135 million

Build time

3 years

Lifetime

45 years

Unlocked by

Steam Plant Works

Biogas Digester

Makes biogas from manure and crop residues from the farmland, and from food waste and sewage from the towns. It cleans the biogas into methane. Your gas plants burn it before they buy natural gas. This cuts their fuel bill and their emissions. It makes up to 12 MW of gas, day and night. The dome over its tanks holds 6 hours of gas. If no plant burns the gas and no store has room for it, the digester flares it. All digesters share the waste that the map produces. It needs no grid connection.

List price

$26 million

Build time

1.3 years

Lifetime

25 years

Unlocked by

Anaerobic Digestion

Direct Air Capture Array

Removes CO₂ from the air and stores it underground. It uses up to 30 MW. At full power, it removes about 15 tonnes of CO₂ an hour. Set it to run always, in cheap hours, or only on spare power. The captured CO₂ is subtracted from your carbon bill. With a clean grid, you can reach negative emissions.

Load

30 MW

List price

$260 million

Build time

1.7 years

Lifetime

30 years

Unlocked by

Carbon Capture Works

Methanation Plant

Makes carbon-neutral methane from hydrogen and CO₂ from the air. Your gas plants burn it like natural gas. It is the most expensive energy in the game. 1.25 MWh of hydrogen makes 1 MWh of gas. That hydrogen needs nearly 2 MWh of electricity. A turbine makes 0.6 MWh of power from the gas. It is the only way to run gas plants with zero emissions.

Load

6 MW

List price

$118 million

Build time

2 years

Lifetime

30 years

Unlocked by

Synthetic Methane

Network

Power moves at four voltages: 380 kV over long distances, 110 kV across the colony, 20 kV into the towns and 400 V to the streets. Lines carry it. Substations change its voltage.

20/0.4 kV Local Substation

A small 20/0.4 kV substation that supplies the streets around it. Towns lay out new streets by themselves. The new streets stay empty until a Local Substation reaches them. Place one at the edge of the town. Draw a 20 kV feeder to it. People then move into the empty streets. Later, you can use Assign streets to move streets between Local Substations.

Steps

20 kV ↔ 400 V

400 V capacity

6 MW

List price

$1.9 million

Build time

4 months

Lifetime

40 years

Unlocked by

Available from the start

20 kV Feeder

A medium-voltage cable from a substation to the town. If it overloads, the whole feeder trips.

Voltage

20 kV

Rating

14 MW

List price

$260,000 per km

Lifetime

40 years

Unlocked by

Available from the start

20 kV Double Feeder

Two cables in one trench. Twice the capacity of a 20 kV Feeder for less than twice the cost.

Voltage

20 kV

Rating

28 MW

List price

$440,000 per km

Lifetime

40 years

Unlocked by

Grid Construction

20 kV Quad Feeder

Four cables in one trench, the most that fit. It has four times the capacity of a 20 kV Feeder. It takes flow away from the feeders around it.

Voltage

20 kV

Rating

56 MW

List price

$720,000 per km

Lifetime

40 years

Unlocked by

Heavy Corridors

110/20 kV Substation

Converts 110 kV to 20 kV for the streets of a town. Its 20 kV feeders carry the power to the Local Substations. A new town marks a site for one. When you build it on that site, the town becomes your customer. Add banks when the town grows. To give the town a second supply, build another one.

Steps

110 kV ↔ 20 kV

Throughput limit

25 MW

List price

$2.8 million

Build time

8 months

Lifetime

45 years

Unlocked by

Available from the start

110 kV Line

Your starting transmission line. It costs less per kilometre than a 380 kV line. Over the same distance, it loses about four times as much power. It also has less capacity.

Voltage

110 kV

Rating

80 MW

List price

$420,000 per km

Lifetime

50 years

Unlocked by

Available from the start

110 kV Double Circuit

Two circuits on the same towers double the capacity and reduce losses. They cost about two-thirds more than a 110 kV Line. Damage to the route can still break both circuits.

Voltage

110 kV

Rating

160 MW

List price

$700,000 per km

Lifetime

50 years

Unlocked by

Grid Construction

110 kV Quad Circuit

Four circuits on one tower line, the most that a route can carry. It has four times the capacity of a single circuit. It takes flow away from the lines beside it. For more capacity, build a new route or a 380 kV line.

Voltage

110 kV

Rating

320 MW

List price

$1.15 million per km

Lifetime

50 years

Unlocked by

Heavy Corridors

380/110 kV Substation

Connects 380 kV and 110 kV networks in both directions. The transformer has its own capacity limit. A 380 kV route loses about one ninth as much power as a 110 kV route with the same load.

Steps

380 kV ↔ 110 kV

Throughput limit

300 MW

List price

$26 million

Build time

1.2 years

Lifetime

50 years

Unlocked by

Extra-High-Voltage Equipment

380/110 kV Grid Node

Two transformers give twice the capacity of a 380/110 kV Substation. When one transformer is overhauled, the other keeps the site supplied.

Steps

380 kV ↔ 110 kV

Throughput limit

600 MW

List price

$40 million

Build time

1.7 years

Lifetime

50 years

Unlocked by

Extra-High-Voltage Equipment

380 kV Overhead Line

A high-capacity transmission line with low losses per kilometre. Connects distant generation to towns.

Voltage

380 kV

Rating

1800 MW

List price

$1.15 million per km

Lifetime

60 years

Unlocked by

Extra-High-Voltage Equipment