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Locationmajor

Solar Power Station

The Solar Power Station is a large industrial facility in the Jackson Plains area of the Southern Badlands, outside Night City proper.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • Solar Power Station is in Southern Badlands, within the wider Jackson Plains landscape.
  • Its primary story appearance is in Lightning Breaks, which follows Ghost Town in Panam’s storyline.
  • During the mission, V helps Panam disable the station’s security and overload its terminals to create an electromagnetic pulse.
  • The station has a permanent fast-travel Dataterm.
  • It is not a normal commercial location There is no verified shop, apartment, ripperdoc, food stall or resident community attached to the station.
  • The nearby Solar Arrays are a separate named location and should be listed independently, even though the two sites visually form one large solar-energy landscape.
  • Update 2.1 added a secret event in the wider solar-array area connected with Sandra Dorsett and the FF:06:B5 mystery. The event should be treated as nearby environmental content rather than as a standard mission inside the power station.

About this guide

Scope: Cyberpunk 2077 base game, including content added through Update 2.1. Spoiler warning: This guide discusses the main job Lightning Breaks, the following job Life During Wartime, and the Update 2.1 environmental event associated with Sandra Dorsett.

Overview

The Solar Power Station is a large industrial facility in the Jackson Plains area of the Southern Badlands, outside Night City proper. It is one of several energy and infrastructure sites spread across the southern edge of the map, alongside the Solar Arrays, Lake Farm, Dam, Autowerks and the Border Checkpoint.

It is best known as the location used by Panam Palmer and V during Lightning Breaks, the main job in which they attempt to disable a Kang Tao AV carrying Anders Hellman. The station is also a useful navigation landmark and fast-travel destination, although it is not a conventional settlement, shop district or permanent combat arena.

The game’s terminology is not entirely consistent. The world map labels the fast-travel destination Solar Power Station, while Lightning Breaks and some database material refer to the mission facility as Satwave Power Plant. In practical exploration terms, these names point to the same southern Badlands power-generation complex, but they should not be treated as evidence that every nearby solar installation is part of the station itself.

Location and boundaries

Solar Power Station lies in the Southern Badlands, the southern subdivision of the Badlands district. The Badlands are the sparsely populated plains beyond Night City’s built-up districts, containing farms, fuel stations, abandoned facilities, nomad sites, industrial operations and border infrastructure.

Within Southern Badlands, the station sits among a chain of named locations that generally runs from the interior towards the southern and western approaches to the border. Map listings place Dam, Lake Farm, Solar Power Station, Abandoned Parking Lot, Las Palapas Motel, Solar Arrays, Autowerks, Tango Tors Motel, Abandoned Fuel Station, Regional Airport, Fuel Station, Border Checkpoint and Protein Farm in this broad subregion. These are neighbouring locations, not subdivisions of Solar Power Station.

What counts as the station?

For a practical player-facing boundary, Solar Power Station consists of:

The enormous field of collectors around it belongs to the wider solar-generation landscape. The map separately labels Solar Arrays, so it is more accurate to describe the arrays as a neighbouring site rather than a subarea of the station.

This distinction matters when using a completion map. A player searching for the Solar Power Station Dataterm should not assume that every panel field, maintenance track or nearby environmental encounter is part of the station’s named location.

Environment and geography

The station stands in the open desert of Jackson Plains. Its setting contrasts with the dense vertical construction of Night City. There are long sightlines, sparse vegetation, exposed approaches and large areas of industrial equipment. The solar infrastructure is visible from a considerable distance, making it one of the easier Southern Badlands landmarks to recognise when travelling cross-country.

The site’s visual identity comes from the combination of:

The location also helps establish the Badlands’ role in Night City’s economy. The district is not simply empty desert. It contains the farms, power facilities, fuel infrastructure and industrial sites required to support the city. The official artbook description of the Badlands presents the region as a landscape of solar panels, windmills, greenhouses and resource extraction, reinforcing the idea that the desert is an industrial hinterland rather than an untouched wilderness.

Named locations directory

Solar Power Station

The two names are closely associated in the game’s content. The fast-travel map uses Solar Power Station, while the main job’s location data identifies Satwave Power Plant. A separate database naming error has also caused confusion with Old Power Plant, whose displayed image is associated with the solar station even though the description refers to another facility.

Adjacent or neighbouring locations

These are in the surrounding Southern Badlands, but are not subareas of Solar Power Station:

The most important boundary distinction is between Solar Power Station and Solar Arrays. The arrays are the broader nearby installation and have their own fast-travel entry.

Solar Power Station

Adjacent or neighbouring locations

Access and routes

Fast travel

The easiest route is to unlock the Solar Power Station Dataterm. Once activated, it becomes available from other discovered fast-travel points. The station is listed among the Southern Badlands fast-travel destinations, alongside Solar Arrays, Abandoned Parking Lot and the other regional points.

Driving from Night City

Approach through the Badlands road network and follow the map marker towards the solar installations. The station is not a hidden interior location. Its large industrial structures and collector fields make it visible from the surrounding desert.

This route gives a good view of the southern energy and transport infrastructure without confusing all of it for one location.

Mission access

The station becomes a mandatory destination during Lightning Breaks, but the mission does not begin at the station. V first meets Panam near the Sunset Motel at midnight, rides with her through the Badlands and calibrates the vehicle’s turret before reaching the power facility. The mission then uses a scripted version of the location with hostile security and objective markers.

Driving from Night City: For a useful sightseeing route, travel between

  1. 01
    Dam
  2. 02
    Lake Farm
  3. 03
    Solar Power Station
  4. 04
    Solar Arrays
  5. 05
    Autowerks
  6. 06
    Regional Airport or Border Checkpoint

Lightning Breaks

Lightning Breaks is a main job given by Panam Palmer. It follows Ghost Town and leads directly into Life During Wartime.

Panam’s plan is to use the power station to generate an electromagnetic pulse capable of disrupting a Kang Tao AV carrying Anders Hellman. The operation involves approaching the station, dealing with its security and overloading its terminals before waiting for the AV.

Mission objectives at the station

The exact combat approach depends on V’s build. The mission supports direct gunplay and quickhacking, and guides specifically note that the drones can be attacked with weapons or hacks such as Short Circuit.

Rewards and progression

The most significant reward is progression through Panam’s storyline and the main narrative. Guides also report the usual experience, Street Cred and character progression rewards for completing the job. The station itself does not provide a permanent unique vendor, apartment or purchasable property.

Completing Lightning Breaks unlocks the next main job, Life During Wartime, in which V and Panam pursue the downed AV and Anders Hellman. The station therefore functions as a story-critical stage rather than as a repeatable combat outpost.

Mission objectives at the station: The station section broadly follows this sequence

  1. 01
    Travel with Panam towards the power facility.
  2. 02
    Defend the vehicle against Kang Tao drones.
  3. 03
    Enter or approach the station compound.
  4. 04
    Eliminate or bypass the power plant security.
  5. 05
    Reach the marked terminals.
  6. 06
    Switch to the local network where required.
  7. 07
    Overheat the terminals.
  8. 08
    Return to Panam’s vehicle.
  9. 09
    Move to the overlook.
  10. 10
    Trigger the detonator when the AV arrives.
  11. 11
    Continue into Life During Wartime after Panam’s follow-up attack.

Residents, factions and security

Kang Tao

The station’s named hostile presence during Lightning Breaks is Kang Tao security. The company is protecting the infrastructure and the AV operation connected with Hellman. The mission’s enemies include:

These enemies are associated with the mission state. They should not be treated as evidence of a permanent faction base that remains fully populated after the job.

Permanent residents

No verified permanent named resident, merchant, quest giver or settlement community is attached to Solar Power Station. Panam is a mission visitor, not a resident of the facility. The same applies to V and Johnny Silverhand.

Law enforcement

There is no confirmed permanent NCPD checkpoint, police station or law-enforcement office at the Solar Power Station. The facility’s security is corporate or site security, particularly during Lightning Breaks.

Shops and services

No functional shops or ordinary services are verified at the station.

The station’s industrial equipment should not be mistaken for player-operated crafting, repair or purchasing facilities. The named location is primarily a landmark, fast-travel point and mission space.

Shops and services

ServiceStatus
Fast travelAvailable through the Solar Power Station Dataterm
Weapon shopNone verified
Clothing shopNone verified
Food or drink vendorNone verified
RipperdocNone verified
Vehicle serviceNone verified
Apartment or propertyNone verified
Mission terminalPresent during Lightning Breaks
Corporate securityPresent in the mission state

Items and collectibles

The Solar Power Station has no reliably documented unique collectible set comparable to a tarot mural collection, iconic weapon quest or dedicated shard chain.

Normal open-world loot may appear in or around the location depending on the game’s encounter and loot state. Such items should be distinguished from fixed rewards. The station’s confirmed fixed utility is the fast-travel Dataterm, while mission-specific loot and ordinary containers may vary according to the player’s exploration and quest state.

Because the nearby solar fields are extensive, players using a completion map should check whether an item is tagged to Solar Power Station or Solar Arrays before recording it as part of this location.

Update 2.1 and the Sandra Dorsett event

Update 2.1 added a secret environmental event in the Jackson Plains solar area. Guides place it at the central power station within or beside the Solar Arrays area and associate it with Sandra Dorsett, NetWatch and the wider FF:06:B5 mystery.

This content is easy to misclassify because it uses the same broad solar landscape. The safest way to describe it is:

The event is therefore a progression-state difference rather than a separate version of the station. Players on an unpatched launch-era build will not have the Update 2.1 additions, while players on current supported versions can investigate the area after updating. CD Projekt Red’s official Update 2.1 announcement confirms the update’s December 5, 2023 release and its additional game-world features, while third-party coverage identifies the solar-area event specifically.

Suggested exploration route

For a first visit, use the following route:

Suggested exploration route: steps

  1. 01
    Activate the Solar Power Station Dataterm. This establishes the location as a fast-travel destination.

Suggested exploration route: steps

  1. 01
    Circle the station’s immediate compound. Look for the central power structure, access roads and mission-relevant terminal areas.

Suggested exploration route: steps

  1. 01
    Compare the boundary with Solar Arrays. Use the separate map label to avoid treating the entire panel field as part of the station.

Suggested exploration route: steps

  1. 01
    Drive towards Autowerks. This gives a clear sense of how the solar complex sits within the southern Badlands network.

Suggested exploration route: steps

  1. 01
    Continue towards the Regional Airport or Border Checkpoint. These locations show the area’s wider transport and frontier infrastructure.

Suggested exploration route: steps

  1. 01
    Return to the central solar area for the Update 2.1 event. This is most relevant for players investigating the FF:06:B5 and Sandra Dorsett material.

Suggested exploration route: steps

  1. 01
    Replay or begin Lightning Breaks only after saving. The mission changes the area temporarily and can restrict movement through scripting.

Sources