Bharat Forge, Andhra Govt Sign MoU For Marine Gas Turbine Facility In Vizag

Bharat Forge and the Andhra Pradesh government have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish India’s first private-sector Marine Gas Turbine (MGT) repair, overhaul and indigenous development facility in Visakhapatnam, in a major push towards strengthening the country’s defence manufacturing and naval self-reliance capabilities.

According to an official release issued on Monday, the facility will be developed over nearly 80 acres within the Andhra Pradesh Defence Manufacturing Corridor. The project will be strategically co-located with the Naval Dockyard, INS Eksila and the Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam to support faster maintenance and operational readiness of Indian naval assets.

The announcement comes shortly after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the nearly Rs 16,000 crore Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) infrastructure project at Puttaparthi in Sri Sathya Sai district, along with several defence and drone city initiatives aimed at transforming Andhra Pradesh into a major aerospace and defence manufacturing hub.

The release said the MGT project would cater to the requirements of all three armed services while reducing India’s dependence on foreign facilities for maintenance and overhaul of marine propulsion systems used in naval warships.

Phase 1 of the project will establish a complete MGT repair and overhaul complex, including hot section restoration of blades, vanes and combustion liners, component manufacturing units and a non-destructive evaluation laboratory. It will also provide a 72-hour turnaround capability for the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, significantly improving maintenance cycles and operational efficiency of naval propulsion systems.

Phase 2 will involve setting up India’s first private-sector MGT development and assembly hall, along with a full-spectrum hot test cell scalable across propulsion ratings. The second phase will also undertake the development and qualification of an indigenous marine gas turbine on Indian soil for the first time in the private sector.

The facility is expected to emerge as a regional repair and overhaul hub for friendly foreign navies and generate nearly 750 direct and indirect employment opportunities .

Bharat Forge Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director Amit Kalyani said the Visakhapatnam facility would help end India’s dependence on foreign-built marine propulsion engines.

Gas turbines currently form the propulsion backbone of frontline Indian naval surface combatants, though overseas supply chain disruptions in recent years have impacted repair cycles and operational readiness. The project is being positioned as a strategic national initiative aimed at strengthening India’s long-term defence manufacturing ecosystem and maritime self-reliance .