TL;DR

The Power Plant (Karakorum Power Plant) is located roughly 1,100 meters east of the Lifepod in the Alien Ruins biome.
You need Axum Vision, a Bioscanner, a Tadpole with Depth Module Mk. I, and a Habitat Builder before you can start.
Repairing the turbine costs 10 Titanium Ingots, 10 Strontium, and 10 Mangalloy Ingots — processed at a Processor station.
After repairing the turbine, you must solve the Upper Control Room symbol puzzle to fully power the plant.
Once the Power Plant is running, the Observatory door opens — this is the current end of Subnautica 2’s Early Access story.

Fix The Power Plant & Open Observatory In Subnautica 2 is the biggest and most resource-intensive goal in the game’s early access build. It is the final major story objective available right now, and it sits at the end of a long chain of upgrades, puzzles, and deep dives into the Alien Ruins region. If the Observatory door is not opening, or you are staring at a broken turbine and do not know what to do next, this guide covers every step from preparation to the moment the door swings open in Subnautica 2.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites – What You Need Before You Start

Do not attempt to fix the Power Plant until all of these are in place. Missing even one will send you back to base mid-run.

Axum Vision Adaptation — You cannot interact with any Axum technology without this. It is unlocked by clearing the Alien Ruins Angel Comb. See our Alien Ruins Angel Comb guide for the full walkthrough.
Alien language learned — Even with Axum Vision, the control room terminals say “Translation Failed” until you scan the Rosetta Stone monolith near the Axum Observatory. Check our guide on how to learn the alien language in Subnautica 2 for the exact location and steps.
Bioscanner — You need this to scan the broken turbine and reveal its repair recipe. Without scanning it first, you cannot build the repair. See our Bioscanner guide for how to get it.
Tadpole with Depth Module Mk. I — The Karakorum Power Plant area requires diving to around 400 meters. See our Tadpole Depth Module guide if you have not upgraded yet.
Habitat Builder — This is the tool used to physically repair the turbine, not the Repair Tool. You must have it built and in your inventory. See our guide on how to unlock the Habitat Builder.
10 Titanium Ingots, 10 Strontium, and 10 Mangalloy Ingots — These are the materials required to repair the turbine. All three require processing at a Processor. See the materials section below for exactly how to gather them.

Where Is the Power Plant in Subnautica 2?

The Karakorum Power Plant is located in the Alien Ruins biome, roughly 1,100 meters east of your Lifepod. It is a massive alien structure built into the canyon wall, with a giant turbine visible above the Angel Comb area. The Research Center (also called the Alien Ruins marker) is your navigation target — the Power Plant and turbine are right in the same area.

Head east from the Lifepod following the E marker on your compass. Watch for Leviathan-class predators along this route, particularly in open water. Staying close to the sea floor reduces how often they aggro. Having the Tadpole with the Depth Module makes this journey significantly safer and faster.

Step 1 – Activate the Lower Generator Control Room

Once you have Axum Vision and can read the alien language, swim along the cliffside near the turbine and find the Lower Generator Control Room. It is located in the southeastern area near the Angel Comb, built into the canyon wall.

The lower control room is straightforward. There is a single terminal with a button. Interact with it to partially start the Power Plant and lower the main turbine structure. This alone does not fully power the zone — it is just step one of the sequence.

Once you interact with this terminal, swim upward to the turbine propeller above. You will see some metal crates left behind by colonists. Look through them for the “Turbine Repair Plan” databank entry — it provides context for what was done to the turbine and confirms it was deliberately sabotaged.

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Step 2 – Scan and Repair the Broken Turbine

Above the Angel Comb area, swim up onto the large circular turbine structure. Move around to the east side of its circumference where you will find a blue light and the broken turbine component. The damaged section is highlighted, making it easy to spot.

Pull out your Bioscanner and scan the broken part first. This is required — the game will not let you repair it without scanning it first. Scanning reveals the full repair recipe.

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Once scanned, switch to your Habitat Builder and select the turbine repair. It costs:

10 Titanium Ingots
10 Strontium
10 Mangalloy Ingots

Confirm the build and the turbine propeller will visibly repair itself. However, the turbine still does not spin yet. You need to route power through the Upper Control Room first.

How to Get the Turbine Repair Materials

All three materials require a Processor station at your base to craft. See our guide on how to build Processors and craft ingots before you attempt this. Here is what each material needs:

10 Titanium Ingots — Each ingot requires 3 Titanium, so you need a total of 30 Titanium. Titanium is common throughout the Alien Ruins biome. See our guide on how to get Titanium if you need more.

10 Strontium — Strontium is processed from Celestine. You need 20 Celestine in total to make 10 Strontium. See our Celestine guide for where to find it.

10 Mangalloy Ingots — Each Mangalloy Ingot requires 1 Titanium Ingot, 1 Atacamite, and 1 Troilite. So for 10 Mangalloy you need 10 Titanium Ingots, 10 Atacamite, and 10 Troilite. Atacamite is found as dark crystal nodes on the seabed in the Alien Ruins biome. Troilite comes from dark green minerals near the Karakorum Metal Farms pool. See our Troilite guide for exact locations.

Note on Titanium totals: You actually need 60 Titanium altogether — 30 for the 10 Titanium Ingots going directly into the turbine, and another 30 to make the 10 Titanium Ingots that go into the 10 Mangalloy Ingots. Stock up before making the trip. Troilite is the most limited resource here — use a Metal Farm if you are running short and always keep at least one piece for the farm itself.

Bring the materials using the Tadpole Haul Chassis if you have it, or clear at least 30 inventory slots before the trip. That is a lot of ingots to carry at once.

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Step 3 – Solve the Upper Control Room Puzzle

With the turbine physically repaired, it is time to actually start it. Swim to the Upper Generator Control Room, which is located at roughly 200 meters depth on the canyon wall, southeast of the Angel Comb and directly across from the damaged turbine section you just fixed.

Inside you will find three terminals — one central terminal facing the turbine, and two side terminals on the left and right, each with rotating dials and symbol switches.

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Here is how to solve the puzzle:

Interact with each dial and switch on the left side terminal. Rotate each one until the symbol lines up with the arrow marker. When it is correct, the symbol turns green.
Do the same for all switches on the right side terminal. Align every symbol until they all show green.
Once both side terminals are green, press the claw-shaped switch on each side terminal to activate them.
Finally, move to the central terminal and press the main switch to send full power through the system.

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The turbine will spin up. The entire Alien Ruins zone will power on. You will hear and see the change — the area lights up as the Karakorum Power Plant comes back online.

If a terminal is not responding, double check that you have Axum Vision active and have scanned the Rosetta Stone. Without the alien language decoded, the terminals do not accept input even if Axum Vision is active. Our guide on how to learn the alien language covers this in full.

Step 4 – Open the Observatory Door

With the Power Plant running, swim back toward the Axum Observatory tower — the tall alien structure that breaks the ocean surface near the Alien Ruins Research Base, roughly 1,000 meters east of the Lifepod. The tower was previously dark and the door was sealed.

Now that the zone is powered, navigate to the west side of the tower’s circumference. You will find a bloom pedestal with a lever at the entrance. Interact with the lever to open the Axum Gate. The Observatory door swings open for the first time.

What Is Inside the Observatory?

The Observatory interior is the payoff for all the work you have done. Here is what you will find:

The Orrery — This is a large, mechanical model of the local star system, located in the first chamber as you enter. Scan it with your Bioscanner. The scan triggers a PDA analysis that reveals the location of this planet’s star system relative to Earth, adding significant lore about where you actually are in the universe.

The Second Lever and Axum Transmission — Do not stop at the Orrery. Swim upward through a gap or vent passage above it to reach a second, upper chamber. Many players miss this and think they are finished after seeing the Orrery spin. The real story moment is up here. Interact with the switch or lever in the upper chamber. A hologram plays — a recorded transmission from the Axum civilization. The Axum beg for your help, explaining that the World Tree (the massive Leviathan-like structure visible from almost anywhere in the ocean) is dying. Its roots are rotting. You need to travel to a region called Xanadu, somewhere across the Great Trench, to find beings called the Veps who carry the World Tree’s DNA. The transmission also warns about dangerous creatures called Crypters sleeping beneath the roots.

Return to base and talk to Noa — After exiting the Observatory, return to your base and interact with the Noa terminal (the AI) to read the new Databank entries. This adds more context to what just happened and confirms you have reached the current end of the story.

This is the final story beat available in Subnautica 2’s early access build as of now. You can continue playing freely in the open world — exploring, gathering resources, building your base — but the main story progression ends here until future updates add the Xanadu region and deeper content.

Common Problems and Fixes

The Turbine Will Not Let Me Repair It

You need to scan it with the Bioscanner first, not the standard Scanner. If you have the standard Scanner and not the Bioscanner upgrade, you cannot scan the turbine and the repair option will not appear. See our Bioscanner guide for how to craft the upgrade.

The Control Room Terminals Are Not Responding

This means either you do not have Axum Vision, or you have Axum Vision but have not yet scanned the Rosetta Stone. Both steps are required for the terminals to accept input. See our alien language guide for the full fix.

The Observatory Door Is Still Closed After Powering the Turbine

The door does not open automatically when the turbine spins up — you still need to interact with the bloom pedestal lever on the west side of the observatory tower. The door check in the game is also gated on having scanned the Rosetta Stone. If you skipped that scan, the door will not respond even after the power is on.

I Cannot Carry All the Ingots at Once

This is a real problem — 30 ingots across three material types is a lot to carry. Either use the Tadpole Haul Chassis for extra carrying capacity, or make multiple trips. Upgrade your inventory space first using our guide on how to increase inventory space to make it easier.

Tips for the Power Plant Run

Process everything before you go. All three materials require a Processor at your base. Make all ingots at home, then carry them to the turbine in one trip. Do not try to process things on location — there is no Processor at the Alien Ruins.
Stock up on Troilite early. Troilite is the rarest of the three material chains. There is a limited amount naturally in the environment. Use a Metal Farm to produce more and never use your last piece — keep one for the farm. See our Troilite guide for all locations.
Set up a nearby base. If you have not built a secondary base near the Alien Ruins, this is a good time to do it. Multiple long-distance trips between your Lifepod and the Power Plant are tiring. A small base nearby with a Processor makes the material runs much faster. Check our guide on what to build in your base first.
Stay low on the eastern approach. The route east is patrolled by Leviathans in open water. Hugging the sea floor significantly reduces how often they aggro on you or your Tadpole.
Do not skip the upper Observatory chamber. Many players think the Orrery is the ending and leave. The actual story conclusion — the Axum transmission about Xanadu and the Crypters — is through the gap above the Orrery in the upper chamber. Swim up through the vent passage to find it.

Where This Fits in Subnautica 2’s Story

Fixing the Power Plant and opening the Observatory is the current endpoint of Subnautica 2’s early access main story. Everything in the game up to this point — escaping the Lifepod, exploring the ocean, building tools and a base, unlocking adaptations, learning the alien language, and clearing the Alien Ruins — leads here.

The Axum transmission you unlock inside the Observatory sets up the next phase of the game’s story: the Xanadu region, the dying World Tree, and the threat of the Crypters. This content is not in the game yet, but it is clearly the direction future updates will take. As with all entries in the Subnautica 2 early access journey, more biomes and story beats will be added over time.

You can keep playing after this point — exploring, collecting resources, building bigger bases, and scanning more creatures — but the guided story progression ends at the Observatory for now. If you are playing on Xbox Game Preview, the experience is identical.

How To Fix The Power Plant & Open Observatory In Subnautica 2

Prerequisites – What You Need Before You Start

Where Is the Power Plant in Subnautica 2?

Step 1 – Activate the Lower Generator Control Room