Olivia Miles
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Fort Mill, S.C.) — Silfab Solar in Fort Mill has been drawing criticism in recent weeks for a number of reasons, including two chemical spills, which disrupted operations at Flint Hill Elementary School.

The school was closed for two days after the chemical spills, two days apart, on March 3 and March 5.

The company is also facing a lawsuit for allegedly failing to pay bills and has drawn the attention of S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Regardless of the recent scrutiny, a grassroots Fort Mill group has been working to move the Silfab plant, which they say has put nearby residents at risk.

The group Move Silfab Solar has been working for years to stop the plant from being built in Fort Mill, but after the plant opened in February, the group has set its sights on ending or limiting Silfab’s operations.

The group has been active on social media and as the movement has gained traction, “Move Silfab” yard signs and bumper stickers have appeared around Fort Mill.

“In May of 2024 I became aware of the Silfab situation when the Board of Zoning Appeals decided that Silfab Solar, which is a heavy industrial solar cell manufacturing plant, was not appropriately zoned to be built at its current location, which is zoned for light industrial,” said Dr. Andrea Olson, a Fort Mill veterinarian and member of Move Silfab.

Olson was a guest on the Palmetto Report podcast to discuss the group’s efforts to relocate the Silfab plant.

“When I became involved I went to a few meetings, learned a lot more and my involvement has really steadily increased from there,” Olson said.

In January, Olson addressed the York County Council detailing the group’s concerns about the zoning of the plant, which can be seen on the Move Silfab Facbook Page.

“Silfab Solar is a Canadian company and they are a solar panel manufacturing, however, what they are doing in Fort Mill is solar cell manufacturing and that’s a completely different process,” she said.

“Solar cell manufacturing is a really serious, heavy industrial process. We’re talking big time chemicals…but they’re extremely dangerous. It’s a major issue with pollution.”

Thus, Olson says Silfab doesn’t have the proper zoning for that type of heavy industrial work.

“All of this tucked in, right next door to two schools; an elementary school and a middle school,” she said.

Olson said Move Silfab will continue to try to put pressure on the county council to stop issuing building permits to Silfab Solar until the zoning issue is resolve.

* Joseph Kasko contributed to this report.