Infrastructure
Fuel & Power
Fuel moves fleets and feeds industry; power keeps a planet's buildings operating. Their similar-looking shortages behave differently and require different solutions.
Fuel is empire-wide
Power is local
Deployed fleets burn more fuel
01
How it works
- Fuel Refineries turn local power and credits into fuel. Power Plants consume fuel and credits to generate local power.
- Power cannot be stockpiled or transferred between systems. A local deficit reduces utilization among the buildings competing for it.
- Ships consume little fuel while stationed and much more while deployed; distance can further increase demand. A Fuel Tender's cargo expands the supported range and lowers that distance penalty for its fleet. Tenders do not hold a separate refillable reserve: a fleet restores readiness at a friendly system.
02
Command advice
- Give every industrial world its own power margin. A fuel-rich empire cannot remotely rescue an underpowered planet.
- Forecast campaign fuel before deploying fleets, and station ships when their movement is no longer strategically useful.
- Avoid a fuel-power spiral: Power Plants need fuel, while refineries need power. Keep both sides comfortably supplied.