Two business verticals of Larsen & Toubro – the Heavy Civil Infrastructure (HCI) and Heavy Engineering (HE) – have jointly won a significant order from the Department of Atomic Energy of Government of India, for establishing the LIGO India Observatory. The Observatory will come up at Aundha in Maharashtra's Hingoli district. According to the company's project classification, the value of the order ranges between Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 2,500 crore.
LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) is used for detection of gravitational waves caused by cataclysmic cosmic events through multikilometer-scale wave detectors using laser interferometry.
The initiative will be one of India's flagship ‘Mega Science' projects, developed through a collaboration between premier Indian research institutions — including RRCAT and IPR — and the LIGO Laboratory of the United States, with support from Caltech and MIT.
L&T's project scope encompasses comprehensive engineering, procurement and construction of vibration sensitive specialised high-precision civil infrastructure, along with the manufacture and installation of ultra-high vacuum compatible 8 KM beam tube and critical equipment for vacuum infrastructure.
Integration of mechanical, electrical, HVAC, fire protection, vacuum control, monitoring system and all support utilities are also in L&T's scope. The project completion deadline is 48 months.
This prestigious order reinforces L&T's strong track record and proven expertise in delivering complex projects in the field of science and technology.