Contegra constructs EnerVenue manufacturing gigafactory for NASA-tech-based batteries
This is an aerial view of the I-64 logistics EnerVenue gigafactory in Shelbyville, Ky. Edwardsville-based Contegra Construction Co. is serving as general contractor for this Flint Development project. (Courtesy Contegra)
One of two industrial buildings being built at Flint Development’s I-64 Logistics Center will house a gigafactory for the next generation of efficient energy storage.
Contegra Construction Co. is targeting an end of summer completion for a 1.015 million-square-foot shell building where EnerVenue will manufacture batteries based on nickel-hydrogen technology originally developed for NASA. EnerVenue says its technology is ideally suited for grid-scale, commercial and residential applications. Contegra is also building a 478,000-square-foot distribution center for Flint Development at I-64 Logistics Center with an end of summer completion.
EnerVenue’s Energy Storage Vessels were born from metal-hydrogen energy technology used by NASA beginning in the 1980s to support the Mars Rover, International Space Station and Hubble Telescope. It was further refined at Stanford University in 2017 where EnerVenue emerged through the university’s business accelerator. Compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries, EnerVenue says its Energy Storage Vessels improve upon the limitations of today’s solutions, offering a 30-year lifespan, robust temperature performance, greatly improved fire safety, while remaining almost completely recyclable. The company expects to begin production in 2024.
Located on 115 acres, the I-64 Logistics Center is designed to serve Louisville’s growing industrial market. The one-million-square foot facility that will house EnerVenue’s gigafactory is constructed of tilt-up concrete panels, topped by a TPO roof and will feature a 40-foot clearstory. The building will have five dock doors, four drive-in doors and host 300 trailer parking spaces.
The 478,000-square-foot distribution center has a 36-foot clearstory with flexible space for multiple tenants. It is served by 48 dock doors, four drive-in doors and 115 trailer parking spaces.
Prairie Village, Kan.-based Flint Development is a full-service development firm specializing in industrial, multi-family and independent living projects with a strategic focus on creating significant value for both its tenants and financial partners.
Based in Edwardsville, Ill., Contegra is one of the St. Louis area’s largest general contractors and serves a national customer base that includes industrial, institutional, municipal, medical, multi-family, office and retail projects. Its capabilities include constructing developer and owner-driven buildings and site development. To learn more, visit online at www.contegracc.com.
This story also appears in the September 2023 print edition of the Illinois Business Journal.
