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Factorio Nuclear Guide: What is the Best Nuclear Power Ratio?

Having clean and reliable energy is everyone’s dream!

Real time strategy simulation Factorio is surely one of this year’s sleeper hits. Despite being released all the way back in 2020, the number of players is still growing. But the learning curve is nothing to scoff at, so one would definitely need some help, especially in trying to set up a reliable and cost-effective source of power. Clearly, nuclear power is one of the best choices one could have, at least after you’ve been playing for a while. So, what is the best Factorio nuclear power ratio

As opposed to coal, solar or wind, nuclear power is definitely more difficult to get up and running efficiently, requiring research and an appropriate layout to place it. First order of business is to start gathering uranium, then process it in order to have a continuous amount of uranium fuel cells. These can, then, be burned into the reactor to generate nuclear power. 

These are all the basic steps, let’s find out what’s the best Factorio nuclear ratio to optimize all of the resources needed.

Factorio – The Best Nuclear Power Ratio

To generate ten fuel cells, you will need one U-235 cell and nineteen U-238 cells. Keeping in mind that it is possible to reprocess ten used-up uranium fuel cells to get back six U-238, which leads us to a ratio of thirteen U-238 to one U-235.

Also, it is useful to remember that nuclear reactors double up their generating power when placed next to other reactors, so ideally they will have to be grouped together. Overall, a completely optimized nuclear power generation should have, approximately, 292 nuclear reactors, 400 offshore pumps, 4656 heat exchangers and 8000 steam turbines.

Clearly, this will be impossible to reach at the start of a game. So, you will want to rely on less effective power generation for the first few hours. Reaching a balanced nuclear power generation requires a lot of work and research, so this ratio is a number to keep in mind that you want to strive for.

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