Palfinger to Deliver First Fully Electric Offshore Cranes for Polish Wind Farms
November 11, 2025
Austria’s Palfinger Marine has signed a contract to supply the world’s first fully electric offshore jib cranes for the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 wind farms off Poland, marking an industry milestone in the electrification of offshore wind operations.
The cranes, to be installed on the substations of the two projects, will be built at Palfinger’s facility in Gdynia, Poland, enhancing local content in the construction of the wind farms, which are being developed jointly by Equinor and Polenergia.
Palfinger will equip the substations with two DKJ500e cranes, each with a safe working load of 5 tonnes and a maximum outreach of 28 meters. The model is an evolution of the company’s fully electric offshore cranes originally designed for the oil and gas sector, where they can also be operated remotely.
Palfinger’s contract was awarded by lemants, a subsidiary of Belgium’s Smulders, which is responsible for constructing the offshore substations.
“Introducing the electric jib crane technology for the offshore wind segment is a technological milestone and a clear sign of our commitment to constant innovation and to driving electrification in this sector forward. This project strengthens our footprint in the energy sector and reinforces our role as a reliable partner in the global energy transformation” said Sverre Mowinckel-Nilsen, director of global key accounts and segments at Palfinger Marine.
The DKJ500e cranes feature an entirely electric drive system designed to reduce maintenance needs and emissions, while enabling remote operation and diagnostics from onshore control centers.
Their configuration minimizes exposure of components to harsh marine conditions, providing longer service life and lower upkeep costs, a key factor for unmanned offshore substations, according to the company.
Palfinger said it will also deliver six PF160 cranes for both substations, each with a 2-tonne lifting capacity, alongside PF120 platform cranes for the project’s 100 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-236 DD wind turbines.
The Bałtyk 2 and 3 offshore wind farms, located 22 and 37 kilometres off Poland’s Baltic Sea coast near Ustka and Łeba, will each have an installed capacity of 720 MW and are expected to be operational by 2028, supplying electricity to as many as two million Polish households.
