Factorio Forums

I just got to Gleba recently and have a fairly low power requirement, I've noticed that sometimes by base loses power and the power satisfaction is showing 100MW+ even though I really don't have that much going on, about 30 robot ports and a handful of assemblers/biochambers mostly not working.

I thought it might be reporting power draw from space platforms so I sent them away but it didn't affect the power draw. It seems to just resolve itself after some time.

Anyone know what I'm missing?

When entities lose power they need to draw extra to fill their electric buffers. Once it refills they go back to their normal draw. The entity info shows the normal power draw, not the maximum it can pull. Roboports and beacons tend to have very large buffers.

Each roboport draws 2 MW (or legendary ones even 5 MW) when recharging robots, and the graphs show them draining your batteries. Also somehow your steam engines seem to be choked, not getting enough water? Or are you throttling them with circuits? Something doesn't seem to be working correctly there. Anyway, you'll need a lot more steam engines to keep that many roboports supplied. Solar panels provide only half as much power on Gleba as well, compared to Nauvis, so I use them only as emergency backup during blackouts, and prefer using heating towers and turbines on Gleba, they're much more efficient.

jdrexler75 wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2026 10:38 pm Each roboport draws 2 MW (or legendary ones even 5 MW) when recharging robots, and the graphs show them draining your batteries.

That can only account for 54 MW, if your number is right, so it can only be around half the observed problem at best.

Also somehow your steam engines seem to be choked, not getting enough water? Or are you throttling them with circuits? Something doesn't seem to be working correctly there.

You're talking the first graph? I'm guessing a power spiral is preventing steam engines from getting fueled.

Hurkyl wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2026 2:06 am You're talking the first graph? I'm guessing a power spiral is preventing steam engines from getting fueled.

Also the second graph where steam engine power production is very spiky, with 8 engines they should be producing 7.2 MW continuously at night when the batteries are empty, but only manage about half that. But yeah it may be due to a fuel shortage as well, or some low-caloric fuel like spoilage just not getting shoveled fast enough.

The 220 empty uncommon accumulators add 220 * 390 kW = 85.8 MW to the power demand.

And 54 + 86 = 140. So we probably have that aspect of the graphs figured out.