How to keep power plant staffed?

[Richon]

I really am not a fan of the game's system for employment. The power plant only uses 20 workers, but they all leave their shift before new workers arrive, resulting in 0 workers, and so no power, causing everything else to stop working.

What can I do to ensure a steady stream of employees at the power plant?

[Duplex]

I staff out of town coal powerplants using a number of the very small but fast buses. Each bus only carries about 7 workers so it does not drain my supply of workers at the town and with enough of them I have steady stream of workers arriving at the power plant.

Never staff them with anything that relies on electricity. Either use small diesel trains or small fuel powered buses.

[forzion]

You can use personal cars too. The key is to diversify your transportation. Never rely on one single bus or line but have multiple lines from multiple directions if possible to ensure that if one direction is stuck other can have a free way and avoid railroad crossings on the line towards the power plant.

[DaveOath]

Frequency over capacity.

If you need to move 400 workers in an industrial district, it's better to have 4 trainsets with a 100 passager capacity (you can adjust the %) than 1 trainset carrying 400 passagers.

Put as much trains/bus/cars and split the load as long as you don't saturate the line.

This way you have a constant flow of worker, not a big burst follow by nothing for several minutes.

Cable Cars are excellent for this, you can only use them in specific circonstances, but when you can they are great to supply a mine, coal power plant or processing plant.

[Undertaker]

Originally posted by Richon:

What can I do to ensure a steady stream of employees at the power plant?

The short answer is, use fast little buses. 3-4 of them would do.

[Richon]

Originally posted by Duplex:

I staff out of town coal powerplants using a number of the very small but fast buses. Each bus only carries about 7 workers so it does not drain my supply of workers at the town and with enough of them I have steady stream of workers arriving at the power plant.

Never staff them with anything that relies on electricity. Either use small diesel trains or small fuel powered buses.

This is currently what I have going. A few 7-seat busses going only between a bus stop and the power plant.

[Lucky Stralex]

first of all make sure that the bus stop usually has workers waiting and that the microbuses are not picking up sudents or passengers

i personally always keep power plants in walking range of apartment blocks tho tbh

[Richon]

Originally posted by Democracy Defender:

first of all make sure that the bus stop usually has workers waiting and that the microbuses are not picking up sudents or passengers

i personally always keep power plants in walking range of apartment blocks tho tbh

I may have to build some homes that close.

[fjorkar]

one or two small buses (7 to 10 passengers)
- first station at the bus stop next to the apartment (from different stops if there are several stops)
- second station the power plant itself
- if there are other workplaces and a stop next to the power plant, then normal bus services too.
then you always have at least 10-15 workers in the power plant
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2236213962

[Incrediblejimmy]

Originally posted by Richon:

I really am not a fan of the game's system for employment. The power plant only uses 20 workers, but they all leave their shift before new workers arrive, resulting in 0 workers, and so no power, causing everything else to stop working.

What can I do to ensure a steady stream of employees at the power plant?

personally I like to not be dependent on transport for electricity and heating; so I mostly put them on the last point where they can be reached by foot from at least one big housing block, and have at least 2 Power Plants in my country to have security through redundancy. On top I make sure they are at least assigned to one bus stop - never had a problem once its set up until then its watching or importing...

Allthough I'ld really like to be able to set / configure alarms - I don't need to know when private car type no 50 becomes available, but really would like to check a box somewhere to get a message if a power plant has no energy output - or better a certain electricity switch where I check a box...

[DaveOath]

With pollution, you can't built a flat close to a coal power plant. People will die fast.

For a power plant, you need 60 workers to be available (3 work shift x20). Make sure the Bus only take workers (no students or passengers).

[fjorkar]

Incrediblejimmy , I am interested in your 2 power plants.
are also connected to each other or do you have 2 power grids?

[forzion]

Originally posted by fjorkar:

Incrediblejimmy , I am interested in your 2 power plants.
are also connected to each other or do you have 2 power grids?

I have also two power plants backing up each other but I need another one to have backup for two more branches.

There were few blackouts recently due to fire or train blocking the traffic but there was still some power in reserve to supply my towns in other power plant.

But I am running out of reserves and I need at least a nuclear power plant to expand further safely.

[fjorkar]

Originally posted by forzion:

Originally posted by fjorkar:

Incrediblejimmy , I am interested in your 2 power plants.
are also connected to each other or do you have 2 power grids?

I have also two power plants backing up each other but I need another one to have backup for two more branches.

There were few blackouts recently due to fire or train blocking the traffic but there was still some power in reserve to supply my towns in other power plant.

But I am running out of reserves and I need at least a nuclear power plant to expand further safely.

Now comes my most important question.
How do you connect the 2 or more power plants?
I'm currently building my second power plant and I still have no idea how to tie it together.
are both active at the same time?
or one jumps when the other is not active?

[Incrediblejimmy]

Originally posted by fjorkar:

Incrediblejimmy , I am interested in your 2 power plants.
are also connected to each other or do you have 2 power grids?

I use two on the same grid - does that potentially cause other problems or wastes coal? My main sorrow is always the shutdown resulting from chain reactions through power outage...have to admit I tend to tab out of the game to watch sth. or do sth. else, so chain reactions that go unnoticed are a big problem for me - thats why I tend to build double solutions: Two coal power plants, buses from two villages to one factory, ressource supply through train lines and distribution offices set up to refill storages if they drop lower than they should by train supply, etc.

[Richon]

Originally posted by DaveOath:

With pollution, you can't built a flat close to a coal power plant. People will die fast.

For a power plant, you need 60 workers to be available (3 work shift x20). Make sure the Bus only take workers (no students or passengers).

Well, that would have been good to know. I had no idea it took "shifts" into account, as I've never played a game that did that before. I assumed I'd only need 20 workers for it, since it said "20 max." That might be an area to improve in future patches, making it more clear that you need multiple shifts. It's an interesting idea, but very frustrating if you don't know about it.

Does this mean I'll literally need 660 workers for my coal mine?