Power and Pipelines
Keeping the lights on and the resources moving.
Facilities do not run on their own. Power keeps production buildings working, and pipelines move resources between them. Get either wrong and the whole facility stalls.
What this page teaches
- Why facilities need power
- How pipelines move resources
- Planning facility layout
- Avoiding bottlenecks
Why facilities need power
Many facility buildings require power to operate. Without an adequate, steady supply, production slows or stops regardless of how much raw material is on hand.
Power generation and fuel for it are part of the facility's ongoing logistics.
How pipelines work
Pipelines carry resources — such as liquids and processed materials — between facility buildings, replacing the need to haul everything by hand inside the site.
A facility laid out with sensible pipeline runs is far more efficient than one that is not.
Planning layout
Facility layout should be planned before construction: where power is generated, how pipelines connect production, and how trucks and trains reach the site to deliver and collect.
Retrofitting a badly planned facility is painful, so plan first.
Avoiding bottlenecks
- Ensure power keeps up with the buildings that need it
- Route pipelines so no production stage starves
- Keep fuel and inputs flowing, not just stockpiled once
- Leave access for vehicles to load and unload
When this matters
Power and pipeline planning matters the moment a facility grows beyond a couple of buildings. Small additions can be informal; real facilities need design.
Treat it as engineering, because that is what it is.
Related systems
This connects to the Facilities Overview, Production Chains, and the broader Logistics section.
Adding production buildings without scaling power and pipelines. The new buildings sit idle and the materials are wasted.
Plan power and pipeline routes before you build. A facility is an engineering project, so design it like one.