First electric transport of a monopile in real-world conditions

Motion Control & Drives

Electric drive, inverter & motor suppliers

Motion Control & Drive suppliers

Position/motion control suppliers

printer friendly version

October 2026 Motion Control & Drives

Mammoet has performed the first electric-powered marshalling of a monopile in real-world conditions, with the support and collaboration of Van Oord and project developers Ørsted and PGE. The landmark movement took place during the onshore marshalling of key components for the Baltica 2 offshore wind farm, a joint development by Ørsted and PGE.

Earlier this year, Van Oord invited Mammoet to discuss how it could support the contractor’s sustainability initiatives. The two companies agreed on a real-world pilot of an electric monopile transport and nominated Baltica 2 as the project. Mammoet worked with Van Oord to receive, marshal and load out 111 monopiles, each weighing 1700 tons, at the Port of Rønne in Denmark. For the pilot, a single 1700 ton monopile was transported 815 m.

The electric transport used three sets of 26-axle-line self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) fitted with Mammoet’s XXL monopile handling system to lift and cradle the module, all powered by three electric power pack units (ePPUs). Based on data gathered during the pilot, Mammoet is confident that the system can handle all site moves and SPMT lifts needed to move a monopile from storage to quayside on a single charge.

“We were very pleased with the results of the pilot. The transport was completed successfully, without charging and without affecting the project schedule. It demonstrates that we can help offshore wind farm developers reduce their carbon footprint today, and what will be possible in the future,” says Niek Bezuijen, global sustainability advisor at Mammoet.

For a project layout similar to Baltica 2, electric monopile transportation could avoid an estimated 25 000 to 30 000 litres of diesel, equivalent to roughly 70 tons of CO₂ emissions. The system contributes to the decarbonisation of the logistics chain for offshore wind projects.

During the project, Mammoet also used its MTC1600 cranes, designed to lift next-generation monopiles into the water directly, saving time and cost on ballasting during roll-on/roll-off operations. The MTC cranes have their own power packs, designed for compatibility with either batteries or direct grid connection, but can operate at limited capacity using an SPMT ePPU if backup power is needed. Using the pilot data, Mammoet calculated that it would already be possible to perform a single monopile lift using an MTC1600 crane on one ePPU charge without disrupting onsite activities, compared with diesel or HVO operations.

“We were keen to discuss with Mammoet ways it could incorporate its sustainability initiatives into our projects and were open to seeing how these would translate in real-world conditions. With Baltica 2, we saw the perfect opportunity to demonstrate together that heavy onshore monopile transport can be performed fully electrically today,” says Tycho Muller, project manager for Baltica 2 at Van Oord.

Mammoet is working with partners including Van Oord to develop this technology further during future offshore wind projects.

Share this article:

Motion Control & Drives

First electric transport of a monopile in real-world conditions

Further reading:

Published by Technews