The untouchable engineers

The seven fusion reactors that can be found today on the Dark side are all maintained by a handful of engineers. Although their knowledge of the technology is comprehensive (luckily all the theory books and manuals have been saved during the landing), there is absolutely nothing that can be done if one of them needs a spare part or fuel. The continent has almost no metal and there is no way of producing fusion fuel. This is why the best and brightest of every generation are picked to become fusion core engineers, the profession which ensures well being of the entire population.
Aware of their invaluable role in the society, the engineers formed a union early on. It was not formed to protect the engineers - they were respected and cherished  anyway. What they recognized is the potential for power, and they grasped it unmercifully. Nepotism, political and religious influence quickly became a norm for this group. If their demands were not met, accidents might happen and fusion cores might malfunction. 
Corrupt and power hungry, the engineers lobbied against deep soil mining, renewable energy projects and generally every idea that could weaken their power and influence. In fact, during the preparation for Pon Osni's expedition (aka "The great crossing") they threatened to sabotage the reactor in Karai, and so they did. The general public heard a sob-story about the expedition selfishly draining the funds away from reactor maintenance. Pon knew better than to confront them head on, and asked the general public to support the mission by donating food and medical supplies in order to unburden the budget. 
Ten years after the expedition, during a diplomatic mission on the Bright side, Pon was found dead in his room. His death remained unresolved, but his children and many elders believe that this was the work of the Union. There is no evidence to this claim, but his close colleagues claim that he was very close to achieving the "Shared Sky" agreement, which would allow the beginning of the harvesting probes.