Subnautica Thermal Plant: Locations, fragments, and how to harness heat energy

The thermal plant in Subnautica is a structure that converts heat into energy, making it very useful for obtaining power in areas where you don't have access to sunlight and therefore cannot use solar panels. The thermal plant starts producing energy when the temperature in its surroundings exceeds 25°C. The energy produced increases linearly with the temperature, reaching maximum energy production of 99 units per minute when the temperature is 100°C.

To check the temperature of the area where the thermal plant is located, simply consult the installed screen. It will display the temperature along with a bar indicating the percentage of energy being obtained at that moment relative to the maximum.

To build the thermal plant, you first need to research it, and to do so, you must find two fragments scattered throughout the map. Once you find the fragments, you can construct it using the habitat builder. To do this, you need to use five units of titanium, two units of magnetite, and one unit of aerogel.

One of the recommended locations to place the thermal plant is near the lava geysers. This way, you can obtain massive amounts of energy. To transmit this energy to your underwater base, you need to use power transmitters, which you can construct with the habitat builder. To build each transmitter, you will need one unit of gold and one unit of titanium. This way, you can connect your base to the different thermal plants.

Be very careful when building the thermal plants. Since they are positioned in areas with high temperatures, such as lava geysers, the eruptions from these underwater vents can reduce the player's health points.

One of the reasons why the thermal plant may not work is if it is located in the wrong place. Keep in mind that for it to produce energy, the temperature of the area it is in must be above 25°C. But how can you check if the temperature is sufficient in a particular area? When building the thermal plant, pay attention to the color of its silhouette in the construction menu.

If it is red, then you won't be able to build it in that location. If it is yellow, then you can build it, but it won't generate energy since the temperature is below 25°C. On the other hand, if it is green, then you can build it and it will also produce energy, as the temperature is higher than the minimum required.