Silfab Solar plant in Fort Mill sparks safety, legal debates

The Silfab Solar plant in Fort Mill has ignited a wave of community responses, drawing legal, health and environmental concerns. Local families are putting their homes up for sale, worried about hazardous chemicals near new schools like Flint Hill Elementary, as community groups like Move Silfab push back. Legal battles persist in the courts, while South Carolina lawmakers have introduced new bills aimed at tightening zoning laws in direct response to the plant.

Experts from the Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit have urged the school district to pay for an independent safety evaluation, reflecting persistent health anxieties. Meanwhile, while some residents fear the plant could threaten local wildlife, like bald eagles in Masons Bend, wildlife biologists say it’s unlikely Silfab’s operations will cause harm to the birds due to the distance involved.

Demonstrators protest the Silfab Solar Monday at the York County Government Center in York before the York County Council meeting. The demonstrators are opposed to Silfab operating in a light industrial zoned area of Fort Mill. By TRACY KIMBALL

NO. 1: AS YORK CO. RESIDENTS PROTEST, SILFAB RESPONDS TO CALLS TO HALT MASSIVE PROJECT

The company’s attorney told York County leaders that county council had no legal authority to halt construction on Silfab’s Fort Mill facility. | Published May 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nick Sullivan

The University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health found people more than 3 miles from Silfab Solar plant, shown here, could be at risk in a worst-case scenario chemical release. By TRACY KIMBALL

NO. 2: ‘REEKED OF BIAS’: USC, SILFAB AT ODDS OVER SCHOOL’S NEW RISK ASSESSMENT

People nearly 3.5 miles from the Silfab Solar plant could be impacted, USC said. Silfab rejects that finding. | Published May 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nick Sullivan

Christina Davis of Fort Mill explains how eagles in her neighborhood fly to the Catawba River to get food. By TRACY KIMBALL

NO. 3: ARE FORT MILL BALD EAGLES THREATENED BY SILFAB? WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST SAYS IT’S UNLIKELY

One feathered family in this Fort Mill subdivision isn’t like the others. | Published April 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nick Sullivan

Silfab Solar has plans for a Logistics Lane facility in Fort Mill.

NO. 4: 2 NEW SC LEGISLATURE BILLS SEEK TO STRIP SILFAB SOLAR PLANT OF FORT MILL PERMITS

Under the bills, construction could cease immediately if a local zoning official found its use is not permitted in the area it’s zoned for. | Published April 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nick Sullivan

Kirsten and Brandon Gantt will list their home for sale if the Silfab plant is built near their child’s future school in Fort Mill, they said. By TRACY KIMBALL

NO. 5: FAST-GROWING FORT MILL IS SEEING A ‘MASS EXODUS’ WITHIN 1 MILE OF SILFAB PLANT

It’s not just the Silfab plant. Parents say there’s another reason they’re worried about raising their children nearby. | Published April 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nick Sullivan

NO. 6: IS SILFAB SOLAR PLANT OK NEAR FORT MILL SCHOOLS? DISTRICT COULD PAY FOR STUDY

A network of pediatric health experts wrote a letter to the district about possible health impacts posed by the nearby solar manufacturing facility. | Published April 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nick Sullivan

Logistics Lane property where Silfab wants to produce solar cells, in yellow, is just north of property where the Fort Mill School District is building two schools.

NO. 7: CONSTRUCTION CAN CONTINUE ON CONTROVERSIAL SILFAB SOLAR MANUFACTURING SITE, JUDGE ORDERS

The project is projected to create 800 jobs at 1749 Logistics Lane, which is between Interstate 77 and U.S. 21. | Published February 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nick Sullivan John Marks

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.