Satisfactory Nuclear Power Guide: Reactors, Fuel Rods & 0% Waste

Much like in real life, nuclear power is a fantastic energy source that can solve many of your problems in Satisfactory in no time. But the entire process isn’t just a massive undertaking—the materials you’re handling are also radioactive. And you’ll need to progress to Tier 9 before you can build a full consumption chain. Today, we’re taking a closer look at nuclear power in Satisfactory, how to use it, and the hurdles you’ll face along the way. We’ll also compare nuclear energy with other fuels.

Satisfactory Nuclear Power Plants Guide: Reactors, Power Output, and Water Demand

With Tier 8 you unlock Nuclear Power Plants, one of the last ways to upgrade your power production. Up to now you’ve probably relied on Fuel and maybe even used Rocket Fuel or Ionized Fuel, but nuclear power takes things to another level.

To build one reactor you need:

• 10x Supercomputer
• 25x Heavy Modular Frame
• 100x Alclad Aluminum Sheet
• 200x Cable
• 250x Concrete

Compared to the Fuel Generator, which produces only 250 MW, a Nuclear Power Plant can put out ten times that. The 2,500 MW become absolutely essential in the endgame if you want to expand your factories. The trade-off is that you’ll be handling radioactive elements. Nuclear plants can run on three different fuels: uranium, plutonium, and Ficsonium.

To operate them you need the respective nuclear Fuel Rods and enough water. The fuel rods must be cooled to prevent the release of radioactive particles. A reactor normally requires 240 m³ of water per minute, which changes if you overclock it.

Uranium, Plutonium, and Ficsonium in Satisfactory: Crafting Fuel Rods

A Nuclear Power Plant in Satisfactory can be run on three fuels with different characteristics. You’ll always start with uranium, which you can mine in the world. From there, you can move up by incorporating waste products into the next production line. In the end, you can process everything and create clean fuel that makes nuclear power truly practical.

Tip: For all of the following steps there are alternate recipes in the MAM. If you’re struggling, it’s worth checking other crafting options. We’ll cover the base recipes here so new players can understand and apply them.

Crafting Uranium Fuel Rods: recipe, runtime, and waste

Uranium Fuel Rods are your first stop to power a Nuclear Power Plant. Each one provides a hefty 750,000 MJ and burns for five minutes to release energy, making them very effective.

Uranium Fuel Rods are assembled from three groups of materials:

• 50x Encased Uranium Cell: Complex components made from mined uranium, concrete, and sulfuric acid. As a byproduct you also get sulfuric acid, which you can loop back into the process.
• 3x Encased Industrial Beam: Available since Tier 4. If needed, see (Satisfactory Tier 4 Guide: Blueprints & Logistics Mk. 3) . An alternate recipe can simplify things here.
• 5x Electromagnetic Control Rod: A bit more complex—you’ll need Stators and AI Limiters. Both are manageable with some progress.

You then feed the finished Uranium Fuel Rods into the reactor. The catch: they produce a byproduct. After five minutes of runtime, each rod generates 50x Uranium Waste.

Uranium Waste is one reason nuclear power is so complicated. You can’t delete it, you can’t dump it, and you can’t feed it into the AWESOME Sink. That’s what makes nuclear waste so problematic. You must process it further so it doesn’t build up too much radioactivity and endanger your other factories.

Plutonium Fuel Rods: efficiency, recipes, and cooling

Fortunately, there’s a solution. Process Uranium Waste directly into Plutonium Fuel Rods. These are twice as effective as uranium, last 10 minutes in the reactor, and rank among the best energy sources in the game. The price is a very complex production line.

In addition to the entire Uranium Fuel Rod production, you’ll need:

• 30x Encased Plutonium Cell: Requires concrete and plutonium pellets, which you craft from Uranium Waste. You’ll also need 100x Non-fissile Uranium, another complex recipe.
• 18x Steel Beam: The easiest part of the Plutonium Fuel Rod.
• 6x Electromagnetic Control Rod: Same as for Uranium Fuel Rods.
• 10x Heat Sink: Not too complicated, but it’s one more component. Crafted from copper sheets and Alclad aluminum sheets.

After all that work, Plutonium Fuel Rods deliver massive amounts of power. Unfortunately, they still produce waste.

Ficsonium Fuel Rods with zero waste: Tier 9 recipes and materials

You can also convert that plutonium waste once you unlock the fictional Ficsonium in Tier 9. The resulting rods are less effective and burn in just one minute, but they finally produce 0% waste.

In addition to the previous steps you’ll need:

• 2x Ficsonium: Requires both the waste and Dark Matter plus Singularity Cell. Both recipes are very complex.
• 2x Electromagnetic Control Rod: As described above.
• 40x FICSIT Trigon: Relatively simple. You craft it from FICSIT Ingots. For that you’ll need SAM—Strange Alien Matter.
• 20 m³ Excited Photonic Matter: Can be made in the Converter and requires no input.

Is nuclear power worth it in Satisfactory? Comparison with rocket fuel and alternatives

Given all that effort, this is the big question. The complicated blueprints can be intimidating. Yes, nuclear power generates enormous amounts of energy, but to end up with no radioactive waste you must complete the entire production chain. Ficsonium in particular introduces new challenges and can be frustrating.

Our tip: Even though standard fuel delivers less energy per unit, Rocket Fuel is often the best overall solution. It takes moderate effort and still produces a lot of power. It’s a solid balance between complexity and output.

Conclusion: Nuclear power in Satisfactory with 0% waste

Nuclear power unlocks at Tier 8 and offers a strong option for energy generation. You can produce huge amounts of power, but it comes at a cost. Three complex production lines, many difficult recipes, and dealing with radioactivity—including nuclear waste—require time and planning. The end result is very satisfying. Whether it’s worth the effort depends on your playstyle.

Rent one of our Satisfactory servers now and try nuclear power in-game. You might even enjoy mapping out the entire process and ultimately using the best power source in the game.