L&T Special Steels and Heavy Forgings (LTSSHF) announced the successful manufacture of India’s heaviest hydro generator shaft, produced for Voith Hydro, weighing more than 50 metric tonnes and measuring over 8 metres in length. Engineered to meet highly stringent quality requirements, the shaft represents a landmark achievement for India’s heavy forging and hydro equipment manufacturing capabilities.
This first-of-its-kind accomplishment in India strengthens the country’s capacity to manufacture ultra-heavy critical rotating equipment components domestically and supports national initiatives such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat. LTSSHF stated that the achievement adds to its growing portfolio of heavy forgings developed, validated and benchmarked within India—demonstrating deepening engineering expertise, process control and metallurgical capability in the sector.
Hydro generator shafts are among the most demanding components in hydropower equipment due to the combination of size, load-bearing requirements, fatigue performance and precision needed in manufacturing. Producing such shafts requires advanced forging expertise, robust metallurgy, strict dimensional control, and extensive inspection and testing—factors that make the successful delivery of this component a significant step forward for domestic manufacturing.
The shaft was manufactured for Voith Hydro, one of the leading global players in hydropower technology, for use in a project of national importance. LTSSHF expressed gratitude to Voith Hydro and the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) for their continued trust and collaboration, and for providing LTSSHF the opportunity to contribute to an infrastructure program with strategic relevance for India’s power sector.
Commenting on the milestone, Hirdesh Shrivastava, GM Sourcing, Voith Hydro, said, “This is an impressive milestone for the Make in India initiative and a strong testament to the capabilities of Indian engineering. The successful delivery of such a heavy shaft by Larsen & Toubro not only reinforces domestic self-reliance, but also demonstrates the high-quality manufacturing standards that Voith Hydro demands across its global and local projects.”
LTSSHF noted that the ability to manufacture such large and critical hydro components within India helps reduce reliance on overseas supply chains, enables faster execution for domestic infrastructure programmes, and supports long-term capability building in the heavy engineering ecosystem. The company added that this project underlines LTSSHF’s ability to deliver large-scale forgings that meet demanding technical specifications for high-performance power generation applications.
A flag-off ceremony was held to mark the dispatch of the hydro generator shaft, attended by Sachin Ambadkar, Strategic Sourcing Leader – Voith Hydro, along with senior leadership from LTSSHF. The ceremony highlighted the strong partnership between the two organisations and the successful culmination of an advanced manufacturing effort executed with precision, quality control and timeline discipline. LTSSHF continues to invest in advanced forging technologies, testing infrastructure and manufacturing excellence to support the evolving needs of India’s power generation and heavy engineering sectors, and to deliver critical components that match global benchmarks.
LTSSHF is a heavy engineering manufacturing unit specialising in high-quality forged and machined components for power, defence, oil & gas, nuclear, and other critical industrial applications. The business focuses on delivering large, complex forgings with stringent quality requirements, supporting India’s industrial development and self-reliance goals.
