Two business verticals of Larsen & Toubro, the Heavy Civil Infrastructure and Heavy Engineering divisions, have jointly won a significant order from the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India to establish the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) India Observatory at Aundha in Hingoli district, Maharashtra. The contract covers end-to-end responsibilities for specialised civil and technical works required for a vibration sensitive research facility. The project has been awarded as a flagship national science initiative requiring precision construction and integrated systems.

LIGO is designed to detect gravitational waves generated by cataclysmic cosmic events using multikilometre-scale detectors and laser interferometry, and will form part of a collaborative network of observatories. The initiative will be developed through a partnership between premier Indian research institutions, including the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology and the Institute for Plasma Research, and the LIGO Laboratory of the United States, with support from the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The facility is expected to enhance the global gravitational wave detection network.

L&T's scope includes comprehensive engineering, procurement and construction of vibration sensitive, specialised high-precision civil infrastructure and the manufacture and installation of an ultra-high vacuum compatible eight kilometre beam tube and critical vacuum infrastructure equipment. The assignment also encompasses integration of mechanical and electrical systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, fire protection, vacuum control and monitoring systems and all supporting utilities, with work carried out to strict quality and regulatory standards.

The project is scheduled for completion within 48 months and will require coordinated work across multiple L&T business units and research partners. The award reinforces Larsen & Toubro's record in delivering complex projects in science and technology and follows its standing as a USD 30 bn multinational engaged in engineering, procurement and construction, hi-tech manufacturing and services across multiple geographies with eight decades of operations.