Hyderabad: Pune-based Bharat Forge on Tuesday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Andhra Pradesh govt to set up India’s first private-sector marine gas turbine repair, overhaul and development complex at Visakhapatnam, marking a major step in defence self-reliance.The facility will come up on about 80 acres in the Andhra Pradesh Defence Manufacturing Corridor and will be located near the Naval Dockyard, INS Eksila and the Eastern Naval Command headquarters.Bharat Forge said the project will bring critical propulsion sustainment capability into India’s private sector for the first time.In the first phase, the complex will include a full marine gas turbine repair and overhaul unit, hot section restoration for blades, vanes and combustion liners, component manufacturing, a non-destructive evaluation laboratory and a 72-hour turnaround capability for the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.The second phase will add a marine gas turbine development and assembly hall, a full-spectrum hot test cell and indigenous marine gas turbine development and qualification capability.The company said the facility is also expected to serve as a regional repair and overhaul hub for friendly foreign navies and generate around 750 direct and indirect jobs.AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said Andhra Pradesh is positioning itself as a leading aerospace and defence production hub as the state pushes industrial growth and infrastructure expansion.
