The Kansas City operation of Turner Construction Co. will be one of two firms to build the $4 billion Panasonic Energy Co. Ltd. electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto, the largest economic development project in Kansas history, the construction companies announced Wednesday.

Nashville-based Yates Construction also was selected by Panasonic Energy to build the manufacturing facility. In addition to the assembly facility, Turner and Yates will build a central utility plant and support buildings as part of the $4 billion project.

Turner is the sixth-biggest general contractor in Kansas City, with 175 local FTE employees in 2021. That year, it had $572 million in local billings. The firm, which is headquartered in New York City, has a staff of 10,000 employees nationwide.

The two firms share a goal for improving environmental performance and are committed to reduce onsite greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption during the plant’s construction, Turner Senior Vice President Jim Brownrigg said in a release.

Read more in the Kansas City Business Journal.