Power Grid: Middle East/South Africa

About this expansion

Power Grid: Middle East/South Africa is a pair of expansion maps for Power Grid, supporting 2–6 players in about 120 minutes. Each map introduces a distinct regional energy setting and changes the resources and power plants available during play.

In the Middle East, the game begins with an excessive supply of oil, alongside plenty of natural gas represented by the base game’s coal tokens and a few solar plants represented by green power plants. At the start, nuclear and garbage power plants cannot be purchased.

During Step 2, the abundant oil and natural gas run dry. Nuclear and garbage power plants then become available, forcing players to adjust their power plant mix as the game reaches its middle stage. This reflects the region’s threatened “peak oil” situation and the possibility of alternative energy sources, including recycling plastic waste.

The South Africa map presents a different challenge. Energy supply is handled almost exclusively by a single trust, and roughly 90% of the country’s energy comes from coal power plants. The region also uses a few nuclear power plants, as well as water and wind ecological power plants.

• Middle East: begin with abundant oil and natural gas, then adapt when both supplies run dry.
• South Africa: work with plentiful coal and six international power connections.
• The South African network reflects energy supplied to half of the rest of Africa.

With its contrasting resource systems and regional power networks, Power Grid: Middle East/South Africa gives the core game two clearly different settings to explore.