SC agency: Silfab should stop work after 300 gallon chemical spill
Silfab Solar should stop bringing chemicals to its Fort Mill site and pause operations until state investigation is completed after Tuesday morning’s spill, according to South Carolina’s top environmental official.
Myra Reece, director with the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, issued a letter to Silfab on Tuesday.
“We believe it is appropriate for Silfab to cease receipt of any additional chemicals at the facility and pause start-up until an investigation can be completed,” it said. “The facility shall fully cooperate and take all appropriate action to ensure the safety of the public and the environment.”
Three-hundred gallons of potassium hydroxide spilled Tuesday morning at the 7149 Logistics Lane property. A retention pool contained most of the material, according to York County. Some of it, according to Reece’s letter, reached a nearby stormwater retention pond.
York County government, going off information provided by Silfab, initially reported the spill as 1,530 gallons. But the county issued a clarification shortly after noon saying the correct amount was 300.
Chemicals at the Silfab site have been debated publicly for three years, with many residents arguing the company shouldn’t be allowed to manufacture solar cells in the property zoned for light industrial use. Flint Hill Elementary School opened near the Silfab site last fall, ramping up debate.
Silfab is responding and working with the state environmental agency following the spill, Reece wrote.
S.C. Rep. David Martin, a Republican from Fort Mill, told The Herald he was “livid” when he found out about the spill on Tuesday while traveling to Columbia. Martin then spoke with Reece and asked for an immediate stop work order until the state can inspect the facility.
“It’s my understanding that Silfab was not even supposed to be fully operational yet, and that they were operating anyway,” Martin said in a video posted to his Facebook page. “And so the fact that that is potentially occurring is, (I) can’t even understand how that happened.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 3:14 PM.
