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

Much like in real life, nuclear power is an excellent energy source that can solve many of your problems in Satisfactory in no time. However, the process involves a lot of work, and the materials you handle are radioactive. You’ll also need to progress to Tier 9 to complete a full consumption chain. Today we’ll take a closer look at nuclear power in Satisfactory—how to use it, the hurdles you’ll face, and how it stacks up against other fuels.

Satisfactory nuclear power plants guide: reactors, power output, and water requirements

At Tier 8 you unlock nuclear power plants—one of the last ways to upgrade your power production. Up to now you’ve likely relied on Fuel and maybe even used Turbofuel or Ionized Fuel, but nuclear takes things to another level.

A reactor requires:

• 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 deliver ten times that. Its 2,500 MW become essential in the endgame as you expand your factories. The trade‑off is handling radioactive elements. Nuclear plants can run on three different fuels: Uranium, Plutonium, and Ficsonium.

To operate a reactor you need the corresponding nuclear fuel rods and enough water. The fuel rods must be cooled to prevent radioactive particles from being released. A reactor typically needs 300 m³ of water per minute, which scales with overclocking.

Uranium, plutonium, and ficsonium in Satisfactory: crafting fuel rods

Satisfactory’s nuclear plant accepts three fuels that perform differently. You always start with Uranium, which you mine in the world. From there, you can work your way up by feeding waste products into the next production stage. In the end you can process everything into clean fuel that makes nuclear power so practical.

Tip: There are alternative recipes for all the following steps in the MAM. If you get stuck, it’s worth checking other options. We’ll use the default recipes here so new players can follow along.

Crafting uranium fuel rods: recipe, burn time, and waste

Uranium Fuel Rods are your first step toward running a nuclear reactor. Each provides 750,000 MJ and burns for five minutes, making them very effective.

Uranium Fuel Rods are made from three groups of materials:

• 50x Encased Uranium Cell: Complex components made from mined Uranium, Concrete, and Sulfuric Acid. As a by‑product 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 alt recipe can simplify this step.
• 5x Electromagnetic Control Rod: A bit more involved; you’ll need Stators and AI Limiters. Both are manageable as you progress.

Insert the finished Uranium Fuel Rods into the reactor. The catch: this produces by‑products. After five minutes of runtime, each rod generates 50x Uranium Waste.

Uranium Waste is one reason nuclear is so tricky. You can’t delete it, can’t dump it, and you can’t sink it in the AWESOME Sink. That’s what makes nuclear waste problematic. You must process it further so it doesn’t build up radiation and endanger your other factories.

Crafting plutonium fuel rods: efficiency, recipes, and cooling

Fortunately, there’s a solution: process Uranium Waste straight 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 entire game. The price is a very complex production chain.

In addition to the entire uranium‑rod line you’ll need:

• 30x Encased Plutonium Cell: Requires Concrete and Plutonium Pellets, which you make from Uranium Waste. You’ll also need 100x Non‑fissile Uranium—another complex recipe.
• 18x Steel Beam: The simplest part of the plutonium rod.
• 6x Electromagnetic Control Rod: Same as for uranium rods.
• 10x Heat Sink: Not too complicated, but one more component. Crafted from Copper Sheets and Alclad Aluminum Sheets.

After all that effort, Plutonium Fuel Rods deliver a massive amount of energy. Unfortunately, they still produce waste.

Ficsonium fuel rods with zero waste: Tier 9 recipes and materials

You can also convert this plutonium waste once you unlock the fictional Ficsonium at Tier 9. These rods are less efficient and burn in just one minute, but 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. Crafted from FICSIT Ingots, which use SAM—Strange Alien Matter.
• 20 m³ Excited Photonic Matter: Produced in the Converter and requires no input material.

Is nuclear worth it in Satisfactory? Compared with Turbofuel and alternatives

Given all that work, this is the big question. The complex blueprints can be intimidating. Yes, nuclear power produces immense energy, but to end up with no radioactive waste you must build the entire chain all the way to the end. Ficsonium in particular presents new challenges and can be frustrating.

Our tip: Even though regular Fuel yields less energy per unit, Turbofuel is often the best overall solution. The setup effort is moderate and you still generate a lot of power. It strikes a good balance between complexity and output.

Conclusion: nuclear power in Satisfactory with 0% waste

Nuclear unlocks at Tier 8 and offers a powerful option for energy production. You can generate enormous amounts of power, but it comes at a cost. Three complex production lines, many demanding recipes, and handling 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 and try nuclear power in the game. You might even enjoy building the whole process and ending up with the best power source in Satisfactory.