How to Restart the Power Distribution Units in Resident Evil Requiem (RE9)
TL;DR
- This objective takes place in the Water Treatment Plant as Grace.
- You need to restart 3 power distribution units on the lower floor.
- The Girl (Shadow Ghost) stalks you the entire time — use the Requiem revolver or lights to stun her.
- One unit is missing its crank lever — find it in the Filing Room nearby.
- Order does not matter. Activate all three, then take the elevator back up and open the roof hatch.
Where Does This Objective Take Place?
The “Restart the Power Distribution Units” objective happens in the Water Treatment Plant, which is part of the Rhodes Hill area. You play as Grace in this section. After the Chapel section with Leon, you switch back to Grace, who is now with Emily inside the facility.
This is one of the tensest sections in the game. You are in a dark, flooded industrial environment with The Girl — also called the Shadow Ghost — roaming freely below. Your only way forward is to restore power to the building so you can open the roof hatch and expose her to sunlight.
Before diving in, make sure you are ready. See our guide on how to get Requiem Bullets so you are stocked up. The Requiem revolver is your best tool in this section.
How to Get to the Surface (Before the Power Objective)
When you start playing as Grace again, just move forward. The path is straightforward. Go up the stairs and head right into the bunker. A cutscene will play where Grace settles Emily down. Inside the bunker, there is a typewriter — save your game here. There are also 5 rounds of Requiem ammo on the table. Pick them up.
Once you leave the bunker, Grace will close the door behind her. The Girl is already out there, so be careful. Your first goal is to reach the hatch controls and try to open the roof.
How to Open the Hatch (And Why the Power Goes Out)
After exiting the bunker, head straight ahead. You will see a green light switch on the left side. Activate it — this turns on a lamp that temporarily keeps The Girl away. Then move to the hatch controls and interact with the switch to try to open the roof.
The hatch opens only slightly before the power cuts out completely. That is when you get the new objective: restart the 3 power distribution units on the lower floor.
How to Get to the Lower Floor
From behind the hatch controls, you will find a ledge or a green lift button. Interact with it to go down to the lower level. Note: once you drop down, you cannot get back up until all three units are activated. The Girl is waiting for you down there, so be ready.
The power distribution units are easy to spot — they each have a red status light glowing on them. You need to find all three and turn the lever at each one. The order does not matter, so go for whichever has a clear path first.
Power Distribution Unit 1 — Storage Area
After heading down, turn right. The first power distribution unit is in the Storage Area on the east side of the lower floor. Watch The Girl’s patrol path. When she moves away or turns her back, sprint toward the red light.
At the unit, interact with the lever and turn it. This is straightforward — no missing parts, no complications. Once activated, that section lights up and The Girl will not enter the lit area. That gives you a safe zone to work from.
If The Girl spots you before you can use the lever, shoot her once with the Requiem. She will be stunned for several seconds — enough time to run to the unit and crank it. On Insanity difficulty, you may need two shots to stun her.
Power Distribution Unit 2 — Control Room (Missing Crank Lever)
Head back toward the center of the lower floor and make your way to the Control Room. This is the unit that catches most players off guard — the crank lever is missing. You cannot activate it yet.
Do not panic. The missing crank lever is in the Filing Room, which is right next to the Control Room. Head there first, grab the Crank Lever from the shelf, then return to the Control Room console.
As you try to insert the lever, The Girl will likely burst in and throw Grace across the room. This is scripted — stealth will not save you here. Your best option is to shoot her with the Requiem to stun her, then quickly run back to the console and insert the crank lever. Hold the interact button until the unit activates.
This is also the best moment to unlock the “Bring Out the Big Guns” trophy — shoot The Girl with the Requiem revolver to stun her. If you have been following our full trophy and achievements guide, do not miss this moment.
If you are out of Requiem ammo, run out of the room and wait for The Girl to lose aggro. Then return and activate the unit quickly.
Power Distribution Unit 3 — Chemical Treatment Area
The third unit is in the Chemical Treatment area, which is roughly opposite the second one on the lower floor. Enter from the east side. As you approach, you will hear The Girl but she will not appear immediately. However, the moment you start cranking the lever, she drops in from a grate in the ceiling above.
There are two ways to handle this:
- Requiem method: Shoot her in the head as she appears. One shot stuns her. Immediately go back to the lever and hold it until the unit is fully activated.
- Light method: If you are low on ammo, there is a lamp switch nearby on the right side. Run out of the room, activate the light — The Girl will get stunned by it. Use those seconds to run back in and finish turning the lever.
There is also a Molotov Cocktail sitting next to this power distribution unit. Pick it up — you will need it soon.
Once all three units are on, the entire lower floor fills with light. The Girl retreats and the area becomes safe. You can now look around for any items you missed, including Med Injectors and 12.7x55mm ammo, before heading to the elevator.
How to Open the Roof Hatch
Take the elevator back to the upper floor. The Girl reappears here for a final confrontation. The moment you step off the elevator, turn left and activate the lamp near the hatch controls. This stuns her briefly. Use that window to sprint to the hatch control switch and interact with it.
The hatch opens fully this time. Sunlight floods the building. The Girl cannot survive the light and is destroyed. A prompt will appear asking you to shoot her — aim anywhere and hit her with any weapon, including your regular handgun. The Requiem is not required here.
After the cinematic, Grace returns to Emily and a major story moment plays out. Leon then takes over for the next long section set in Raccoon City.
Tips for Surviving the Power Distribution Units Section
Always Have the Requiem Equipped
This is the single most important tip. The Requiem revolver stuns The Girl reliably with one shot on all difficulties except Insanity, where she needs two. Without it, you are left relying on Molotovs and lamp switches, which are slower and less reliable. Make sure you have it equipped and loaded before you drop to the lower floor. Pick up those 5 Requiem rounds in the bunker before you start.
Look for the Crank Lever First
When you get to the Control Room and see the unit has no lever, resist the urge to panic or backtrack randomly. The Filing Room is literally right next to it. Walk in, grab the lever from the shelf, and come straight back. Simple once you know where to look.
Watch The Girl’s Patrol Pattern
The Girl moves in a patrol loop. Watch her for a few seconds before committing to a path. She tends to pace through the central Sedimentation area between the three units. Once she turns her back or moves into a side corridor, that is your window to sprint and activate a unit.
Use Stealth Where You Can
The first unit near the Storage Area is the easiest to reach without confrontation. Crouch and move when The Girl is facing away. Stealth becomes unreliable for the second and third units, but starting with the easy one first means fewer early confrontations and a calmer run overall.
The Order Doesn’t Matter
You do not have to activate the units in any specific order. Go for whichever has a clear path. The map is not huge, so adjust on the fly depending on where The Girl is standing. Flexibility is better than following a strict route.
Do Not Waste Requiem Ammo Early
You have a limited supply of Requiem rounds. Save them for the moments when The Girl is actively blocking your path to a unit — especially at the Control Room and Chemical Treatment. Using shots just to feel safe is a fast way to run dry at the worst moment.
What Happens After the Power Distribution Units?
Once all three are activated and you open the roof hatch, The Girl is eliminated for good. This ends Grace’s Water Treatment Plant section. After a story cutscene, you switch to Leon and begin the East Raccoon City chapter — which is a much longer section.
Still working through other parts of the game? Here are more guides that will help:
- How to get generator fuel
- How to collect all 3 detonator parts
- Destroy or release Elpis — which should you choose?
- All safe codes and locations
- All BSAA container locations and rewards
- How to unlock infinite ammo
- How long to beat Resident Evil Requiem
If you are new to the game and planning your run, check the PC requirements guide and our breakdown of all difficulty options in RE9 before you start.
The game is available on PlayStation Store, Xbox, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
