Power Control Station

The Power Control Station is a duplicant-operated building used to create microchips and apply Engie’s Tune-Up to generators. It consumes no power itself, but it must be staffed by a duplicant to function. Each microchip costs 5 kg of Refined Metal, so the station directly turns refined metal into a temporary power boost for eligible generators.

When a Power Plant contains a generator that does not already have the Engie’s Tune-Up buff, the station can queue errands for nearby electrical engineers. If no microchips are available, the duplicant will fabricate one at the station; otherwise, the duplicant will deliver a microchip to the generator and apply the tune-up. The buff increases the generator’s power output by 50% and lasts for at least 3 cycles, with longer duration as the duplicant’s Machinery increases. Higher Machinery also reduces the time required to fabricate and apply microchips.

Only one duplicant can be assigned to a Power Control Station at a time. Duplicants will only make more microchips when none are available for use, so the building does not stockpile them on its own. Manual Generators and Solar Panels are not eligible for boosting.

Because the station consumes refined metal, its value depends heavily on your access to metal supply. In the early and midgame, mass microchip production is usually a poor trade unless you have a renewable source of metal. Once you do, the station becomes a practical way to improve the output of important generators.

• The station is most useful on a small number of high-value generators rather than on an entire power grid.
• A single refined metal batch from a Metal Refinery can support many tune-ups, which makes the station easy to sustain once metal production is established.
• Access to Lead in Oil Biomes can make midgame boosting especially affordable.
• Since the station only works when a generator lacks the buff, it is best used to keep a chosen power plant continuously tuned up instead of spreading microchips too thinly.

Overall, the Power Control Station is a low-power support building that converts refined metal and duplicant labor into a substantial and reliable generator upgrade. It is most efficient when paired with a steady metal supply and a few important generators that justify permanent maintenance.