Factorio power not working? Check the chain.

First decide whether power is actually missing

Click a pole in the network that serves the affected machines. Look at electricity consumption and production there. The important question is whether the network can satisfy demand, not whether every engine is running at its maximum.

Steam engines adjust to the network's need. An engine that has steam but produces only a little power can be working correctly if the factory is idle. Conversely, a healthy-looking engine on a separate network cannot power the machine you are inspecting.

Check one affected area at a time. Two separate pole networks can show different conditions, even when they are close together on the map.

Check the electrical connection

Electric poles have both a supply area and a wire connection reach. A machine must be within a pole's supply area; that pole must connect back to generation through the electrical network.

Follow the visible wires from the machines to the engines. Look for a missing pole, a gap between networks, or an engine outside a pole's supply area. A pole standing beside a machine is not sufficient if the coverage does not reach it.

After reconnecting the network, inspect demand again. Reconnecting a previously isolated section can add a large load, revealing a separate capacity shortage.

Check the steam engine's input

Open an engine and inspect its fluid information. If it is not receiving steam, trace the fluid route back to the boiler. Check that you used the steam output rather than a water connection, and that the route actually reaches the engine.

For normal-quality machines, each engine needs up to 30 steam per second for its maximum output. One normal-quality boiler can provide 60 per second. More than two engines behind one boiler do not make that boiler produce more steam.

Do not diagnose a lack of steam from output alone. The engine may use less because the network needs less electricity. Combine the fluid reading with the network's unmet demand before changing the layout.

Check water and fuel at the boiler

A boiler needs both water and compatible fuel. Inspect the boiler itself:

• Is water reaching the boiler, rather than merely reaching a nearby pipe?
• Does the boiler have fuel available?
• Does the supply chain keep working over time, or does it stop after the current fuel runs out?
• Is the steam output connected to the engine bank?

If your fuel delivery depends on electricity, consider whether a power shortage is interrupting that delivery. Restoring an input can be necessary before the generators can sustain the rest of the factory again.

Check capacity only after the inputs work

Once the engines have steam and the network is connected, compare the factory's demand with the available generation. Each normal-quality steam engine provides up to 0.9 MW. A bank of ten offers up to 9 MW, assuming its inputs are maintained.

Use the steam power calculator to plan a larger bank. Build the additional boilers and input supply along with the engines. Doubling the engine count while keeping an insufficient steam supply will not double the real output.

A symptom-to-check reference

What you see	Check next
One area has no electricity	Pole coverage and wires between networks
Engines have no steam	Boiler output, fluid connections, water and fuel
Engines have steam but produce little	Whether the network actually needs more power
All inputs work but demand is unmet	Generation capacity relative to load
Power works briefly, then drops	Continuity of fuel and water delivery

This sequence is based on the documented electrical and steam systems. It is not a claim that we reproduced every failure in-game. If the setup uses mods or higher quality, compare the actual entity statistics with the assumptions here.