The Last Caretaker ToolsUnofficial fan toolkit
An offshore platform with a burning flare above the sea in The Last Caretaker.

From oil to rocket fuel

How to Get Oil and Make Methane, Oxygen, CO2, Diesel & Petrol in The Last Caretaker

Game version: Rocket fuel amounts predate Update 03; barrel details are from Update 5.5; other details match game 0.8.5 data. The Update 6 note comes from the official public beta post of October 9, 2026.

The fuel chain at a glance

  • Get oil from the oil pump at Black Vein Station, grind spare materials in a Recovery Grinder, or use Project Jonah whales to collect oil from the seabed.

  • Feed oil and electricity into a Distillation Tower to produce both diesel and petrol.

  • A Large Electric Generator burns petrol to produce electricity and CO2. Route its CO2 to the Sabatier Reactor with a Gas Cable.

  • Supply a Sabatier Reactor with fresh water, CO2 and electricity to make methane and oxygen.

  • The Exodus rocket console shows Oxygen 12000 L, Methane 3000 L and Electricity 60 kWh. These full-capacity values were recorded December 2025 and February 2026, before Update 03; not yet confirmed after Update 5.5.

Details that are not confirmed yet are marked separately below.

Follow the production chain

Follow the petrol branch toward rocket fuel. Keep the separate diesel output connected too. Select a machine to jump to its setup and evidence.

  1. Step 1

    Oil sources

    Input / source

    Oil pump · spare materials · whales

    Output

    Oil

  2. Step 2

    Distillation Tower

    Input / source

    Oil + electricity

    Output

    Petrol → next step

    Diesel → separate storage

  3. Step 3

    Large Electric Generator

    Input / source

    Petrol

    Output

    CO2 + electricity

  4. Step 4

    Sabatier Reactor

    Input / source

    CO2 + fresh water + electricity

    Output

    Methane + oxygen

  5. Step 5

    Exodus rocket

    Input / source

    Methane + oxygen + electricity

    Version limit

    Pre-Update 03 console evidence

Sabatier Reactor and Distillation Tower: rates not verified. This diagram shows connections, not machine ratios or production times.

How to make methane

Supply a Sabatier Reactor with fresh water, CO2 and electricity to make methane and oxygen.

The Exodus rocket console shows Oxygen 12000 L, Methane 3000 L and Electricity 60 kWh. These full-capacity values were recorded December 2025 and February 2026, before Update 03; not yet confirmed after Update 5.5.

New in Update 6: since the October 19, 2026 release you can build a Methane Extractor and use single-use methane canisters. Their recipes and output are not confirmed yet; the methane steps below were checked before Update 6.

For methane storage, see the tank reports and reviewed barrel evidence below.

How to make oxygen

Supply a Sabatier Reactor with fresh water, CO2 and electricity to make methane and oxygen.

The rocket uses oxygen alongside methane and electricity. Tank capacities are not confirmed yet.

How to get and store CO2

A Large Electric Generator burns petrol to produce electricity and CO2. Route its CO2 to the Sabatier Reactor with a Gas Cable.

Official Update 03 added a module for storing CO2. The older List of Fluids wiki claim that CO2 cannot be stored is outdated.

CO2 Barrel is also available among the Update 5.5 storage containers.

The CO2 Reactor Tank turns CO2 into Carbon Fiber while it has electricity.

See the item database for the reviewed container details instead of relying on the older storage advice.

Where to get oil

Get oil from the oil pump at Black Vein Station, grind spare materials in a Recovery Grinder, or use Project Jonah whales to collect oil from the seabed.

Feed oil and electricity into a Distillation Tower to produce both diesel and petrol.

Compare the reviewed Oil Barrel evidence in the database. No pumping or grinding yield is assumed by this production diagram.

How to make diesel

Feed oil and electricity into a Distillation Tower to produce both diesel and petrol.

Diesel is a separate output from the petrol used in the generator chain above. For storage options, use the reviewed container entries.

How to make and use petrol

Feed oil and electricity into a Distillation Tower to produce both diesel and petrol.

A Large Electric Generator burns petrol to produce electricity and CO2. Route its CO2 to the Sabatier Reactor with a Gas Cable.

Petrol serves as ammunition for the Flamer Pistol and Flamethrower.

Petrol fuels the CS-17 Courier Skimmer and Salvage Gyro.

Look up petrol storage alongside the other fuel containers.

Distillation Tower setup & stopped outputs

Feed oil and electricity into a Distillation Tower to produce both diesel and petrol.

The Distillation Tower is listed at skill level 20.

Both diesel and petrol outlets need somewhere for their output to go. If either side fills up, the Distillation Tower stops; check both output connections and their available storage.

Distillation Tower: rates not verified. The wiki pages disagree on production figures, so no throughput or filling-time estimate is shown.

If the tower keeps stopping, see machines that stop by themselves.

Sabatier Reactor setup

Supply a Sabatier Reactor with fresh water, CO2 and electricity to make methane and oxygen.

The Sabatier Reactor is listed at skill level 16.

Use Gas Cable for oxygen, methane and CO2 connections. In Update 5.5, the Methane Barrel also has a gas connection.

Sabatier Reactor: rates not verified. Machine-panel evidence is still missing; no input rate, output rate or power-demand figure is used here.

Exodus rocket fuel & launch checks

The Exodus rocket console shows Oxygen 12000 L, Methane 3000 L and Electricity 60 kWh. These full-capacity values were recorded December 2025 and February 2026, before Update 03; not yet confirmed after Update 5.5.

The reviewed launch console has three payload slots labeled Lazarus 1, Lazarus 2 and Lazarus 3.

Launch console checklist · B

  1. Startup
  2. Propellant
  3. Power
  4. Ground
  5. Payload
  6. Weather
  7. System Check
  8. Launch Sequence

The amounts and launch checklist below describe the game before Update 03. They are not a current-version fuel calculator.

Storage & cable connections

Use Gas Cable for oxygen, methane and CO2 connections. In Update 5.5, the Methane Barrel also has a gas connection.

Oil Barrel requires skill level 16 and 2 unlock points. Its recipe uses one each of Storage Cylinder, Filtering System, Connector Ports and Alloy Frame.

Methane Barrel holds 500 L, unlocks at skill level 18 for 2 points, and requires one each of Storage Cylinder, Filtering System, Connector Ports, and Alloy Frame. The wiki matches the August 28, 2026 skill panel from Update 5.5 test build 0.5.5.0020.

The item database holds the container capacity comparisons. Methane Barrel unlock points and ingredient quantities match an Update 5.5 test-build skill panel.

Fuel & gases FAQ

Where do you get oil?

Get oil from the oil pump at Black Vein Station, grind spare materials in a Recovery Grinder, or use Project Jonah whales to collect oil from the seabed.

How do you make methane?

Supply a Sabatier Reactor with fresh water, CO2 and electricity to make methane and oxygen.

Is there a Methane Extractor?

New in Update 6: since the October 19, 2026 release you can build a Methane Extractor and use single-use methane canisters. Their recipes and output are not confirmed yet; the methane steps below were checked before Update 6.

How do you get CO2?

A Large Electric Generator burns petrol to produce electricity and CO2. Route its CO2 to the Sabatier Reactor with a Gas Cable. Official Update 03 added a module for storing CO2. The older List of Fluids wiki claim that CO2 cannot be stored is outdated. CO2 Barrel is also available among the Update 5.5 storage containers.

How much fuel does the Exodus rocket need?

The Exodus rocket console shows Oxygen 12000 L, Methane 3000 L and Electricity 60 kWh. These full-capacity values were recorded December 2025 and February 2026, before Update 03; not yet confirmed after Update 5.5.

Why did my Distillation Tower stop?

Both diesel and petrol outlets need somewhere for their output to go. If either side fills up, the Distillation Tower stops; check both output connections and their available storage.

How do you make diesel and petrol?

Feed oil and electricity into a Distillation Tower to produce both diesel and petrol.

Sources & what still needs checking

Reviewed 2026-10-19. We still need current machine-panel rates, a post-Update 5.5 rocket-console reading and the CO2 Reactor Tank skill panel. No production timing is calculated from figures that are not confirmed.

Official sources and wiki

Continue reading

A storage room piled with round canisters in many colors in The Last Caretaker.
Next step

Fuel & Storage Calculator

Calculate barrels and bulk tanks for each fuel, including disputed capacity options.

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