Factorio Forums

500° steam is unlocked by the Calcite processing (via the Acid neutralization recipe), Heating tower, and Nuclear power (both via the Heat exchanger) technologies. However, if you research Calcite processing before either of the other two, you're forced to run the steam through Steam engines (instead of Steam turbines), losing a significant portion of the steam energy.

Is this intentional? I expected to see the Heat exchanger also unlocked in Calcite processing, so the 500° steam can be used with full efficiency.

Hello, that's intentional. It's not game breaking, just a way to do things more efficiently, and it's fairly common to have nuclear power researched when arriving to Vulcanus.

Thank you!