The ship was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines using steam generated by 20 Belleville boilers at a working pressure of . The boilers were fitted with economizers that preheated their feed water. The engines were rated at and designed to reach a top speed of . "Tsesarevich" handily exceeded her design speed and reached from during her official machinery trials in July–August 1903. She normally carried of coal, but could carry a maximum of . This allowed the ship to steam for at a speed of . "Tsesarevich" was fitted with six steam-driven electric generators with a total capacity of .