Emergency personnel respond to a chemical spill at Silfab Solar, a solar panel maker in York County, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. A second spill was reported at the site two days later. (Photo courtesy of Scott Jenson)
COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s environmental agency halted all operations of a controversial solar panel manufacturer following a second spill in three days at its York County manufacturing site.
Federal regulators from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also are expected to begin an investigation next Wednesday, according to state legislators.
Silfab Solar spilled a yet-unknown quantity of hydroflouric acid inside its manufacturing location in the Charlotte suburb of Fort Mill, less than 2 miles from the North Carolina border. The leak, which was publicly reported Thursday morning, was fully contained within the building and posed no threat to public safety, according to the county and company.
Still, concerns over the leak were enough to prompt the Fort Mill School District to cancel all classes Thursday before students arrived at a nearby elementary school.
The colorless acid is most frequently used in industrial settings to produce goods such as smartphone screens, fluorescent light bulbs, semiconductor chips, herbicides and high-octane gasoline.
The spill report comes two days after the company spilled 300 gallons of potassium hydroxide solution. Silfab contained most of that chemical spill but some reached a nearby stormwater retention pond, according to the state Department of Environmental Services.
SC environmental regulators investigating chemical spill at solar panel manufacturer
In solar panel production, both chemicals are used to etch the glass, making it easier for solar panels to absorb the light needed for energy production.
While the company has yet to begin production at the facility, officials cleared it to begin stocking up on the necessary chemicals and testing its equipment, a process that was scheduled to last six months, according to state Rep. David Martin, R-Fort Mill.
Following the first spill, the state environmental agency ordered Silfab on Tuesday to stop bringing chemicals onto the site. Now, the agency has stopped operations altogether.
In a statement following the second spill, the company said it would voluntarily pause operations in response to the agency’s order.
“Silfab confirms that there is no health risk to employees, the community or the environment,” the company added.
But the school district, along with Martin, and Sen. Michael Johnson, R-Tega Cay, want to see all permits revoked and the company forced out permanently.
“The safety of the Fort Mill community is non-negotiable,” the two legislators wrote in a joint statement. “Two hazardous chemical incidents within weeks of the facility becoming operational demand immediate accountability and decisive action. There is no more time to allow this situation to continue without intervention.”
“I don’t trust anything Silfab says at this point,” Martin later added during a press conference hosted by the school district. “They’ve had every opportunity to do the right thing for this community … And that’s exactly why (S.C. Department of Environmental Services) has been investigating them over the last few days, to find out exactly what the truth is.”
For years, residents have pushed back against Silfab locating on the property, located just north of the school district’s largest elementary school, Flint Hill Elementary, which opened last August. Sprawling nearby neighborhoods include Regent Park. The district also will open a new middle school in the area later this year and has installed air quality monitoring equipment at the two school sites in an effort to protect students.
The opponents argue county officials should not have allowed the company to manufacture solar cells in a light industrial area.
Residents and groups have filed multiple ongoing lawsuits against Silfab, the state Department of Environmental Services and York County over the permitting process that allowed for the development to happen.
In December 2022, York County planning staff signed off on the plant. But solar cell manufacturing wasn’t named in the county’s zoning code and a neighboring property owner appealed the decision.
The board that hears such appeals sided with the property owner but the county still didn’t halt the project, saying the ruling would only apply to future development, The Rock Hill Herald previously reported.
In response, Martin and Johnson introduced a pair of bills last year seeking to void all previously issued permits while the legal cases make their way through the courts.
A House panel held a hearing on Martin’s proposal Thursday. The members took no action on the bill, intending to amend it at a later date.
Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
