BEYOND THESE STARS

Power not connecting: the energy checklist

BeyondTheseStars.org editorial desk ·

Start with the disabled production method and the connection preview, not by building another generator. In Stuck in story where I have to supply power, the original poster recovered after finding the correct orientation and green placement tile. The official FAQ confirms that height, roads and orientation affect the link, and that copper access leads to Power Lines. It gives no universal line length in tiles.

Settlement buildings beside forests at sunset, Steam store screenshot
Settlement buildings beside forests at sunset, Steam store screenshot. © Balancing Monkey Games / Hooded Horse.
A green inhabited planet viewed from orbit, Steam store screenshot
A green inhabited planet viewed from orbit, Steam store screenshot. © Balancing Monkey Games / Hooded Horse.

Order I would check, in the save

  1. Is the footprint green, or only blue? Blue is buildable and unpowered. Hotfix #3 fixed a ghost-green overlay that appeared with no generator connected. If you are on a build from 16 October, patch first. Hotfix #3.
  2. Same height, and a facing that points at the source. The road can also break the link.
  3. Early on, the building must touch the generator. “Nearby” is not adjacent.
  4. If you are using a Power Line, look for a forest or a building sitting on the path. Run the line along the road. An Elevator is the player workaround for a height gap.
  5. Open the building and confirm it is not paused, and that its production method is on. Burner Generators start off.
  6. A workplace outside the housing blue box has no Peep, which looks like a power failure and is not one.
  7. If the generator’s soot bin is full, the starter guide’s by-product rule stops it. Empty or store the soot. Soot loop.

Hotfix #1 changed the generator range line so it draws power range, not pollution range. If you planned from the old ring, the overlay was lying. Rules, not repairs, live on the power page.

Power range, connections and adjacency
Hotfix #1 — 17 October 2026
Hotfix #3 — 18 October 2026
Known bugs, sorted by whether a hotfix names them

Fix a building that will not take power

  1. Read the tile color: Green means the link can form. Blue means the footprint is legal and still unpowered.
  2. Match height and facing: The FAQ says facing, height and the road all change the connection. Different heights do not share adjacency either.
  3. Use a line only after it exists: Early links are direct neighbors. Power Lines come later, get blocked by forests, and can be lengthened by a perk.
  4. Check the generator itself: A soot-choked Burner Generator or a disabled production method stops the whole chain.

Sources

Checked .