Bharat Forge to Establish India’s First Private Marine Gas Turbine Facility in Visakhapatnam

Puttaparthy/Visakhapatnam: Bharat Forge Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh government to establish India’s first private-sector Marine Gas Turbine (MGT) Repair, Overhaul and Indigenous Development complex at Visakhapatnam, marking a major milestone in the country’s defence manufacturing and naval propulsion capabilities.

The MoU was signed by Guru Biswal, CEO – Aerospace, Bharat Forge, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during the Aerospace and Defence Investment Conclave held in Puttaparthy.

The proposed facility will be established over nearly 80 acres within the Andhra Pradesh Defence Manufacturing Corridor and will be strategically co-located with the Naval Dockyard, INS Eksila and the Eastern Naval Command Headquarters at Visakhapatnam.

Officials said the project would bring critical marine propulsion sustainment capability into India’s private sector for the first time.

In the first phase, the complex will focus on Marine Gas Turbine repair and overhaul operations including restoration of blades, vanes and combustion liners, component manufacturing, non-destructive evaluation laboratories and a 72-hour turnaround support capability for the Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam.

The second phase will include establishment of India’s first private-sector Marine Gas Turbine Development and Assembly Hall along with a full-spectrum hot test cell scalable across various propulsion ratings.

The project also envisages indigenous development and qualification of Marine Gas Turbines within India, significantly reducing dependence on overseas supply chains for naval propulsion systems.

The facility is expected to create around 750 direct and indirect jobs while also positioning Visakhapatnam as a regional repair and overhaul hub for friendly foreign navies.

Addressing the conclave, Rajnath Singh said the defence projects announced in Andhra Pradesh would strengthen India’s efforts towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

“These projects will cater to all three Services and strengthen our efforts to make India self-reliant in defence manufacturing. Andhra Pradesh is set to emerge as a major hub of aerospace and defence production,” the Defence Minister said.

Chandrababu Naidu said Andhra Pradesh was building its future on innovation, industrialisation and infrastructure-led growth.

“As India moves towards Viksit Bharat, Andhra Pradesh will lead from the front,” he said.

Bharat Forge Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director Amit Kalyani described the project as a strategic national commitment aimed at ending India’s dependence on foreign marine propulsion ecosystems.

“India’s warships have long carried the might of this nation on engines built abroad. That dependence ends here, at Visakhapatnam,” he said.

Marine gas turbines form the propulsion backbone of the Indian Navy’s frontline warships, and officials noted that disruptions in global supply chains in recent years have impacted maintenance cycles and operational readiness.

Industry observers say the Bharat Forge project aligns closely with India’s broader defence indigenisation strategy and the government’s push to develop advanced domestic capabilities in aerospace, naval systems and strategic manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.