Residents in Fort Mill are split on their support of the County Council’s 4-3 vote this week to approve a multimillion-dollar solar panel operation in the area. Canada-based Silfab Solar plans to invest $150 million in an existing building in Fort Mill where company officials say 800 jobs will be created.
Some residents have concerns about increased traffic and potential environmental problems. And much like concerns about a proposed lithium mine in Gaston County that would supply vital materials for electric vehicle batteries, the fight over the solar panel plant in Fort Mill illustrates how big-picture green energy goals can run up against local environmental concerns.
One neighbor is Wally Buchanan, a retired pastor and businessman who lives next door to the building on Highway 21 in York County where Silfab Solar is setting up its solar panel production operation.
"When we look out our back windows, we see the (Silfab) industry building," Buchanan said. "The family that used to own it, we were good friends and when the dad passed, they sold the land and the building has been there about two years. It was built to be a warehouse."
Buchanan lives on a two-acre plot with his wife, surrounded by nine other family members’ homes on land his grandparents purchased in 1941 to run a farm. Now the formerly rural area has its own grocery store, a restaurant, car lots and other businesses. Buchanan says he’s concerned about the increased traffic Silfab Solar will bring to the two-lane road leading to the facility. But Buchanan has a bigger concern.
"This company will handle hazardous materials, and we’re afraid what will come out of the air," Buchanan said. "They couldn’t guarantee us there won’t be any spills and they want to use 1.7 million gallons of water a day. And after they rinse off those cells, they want to return it to Rock Hill as our drinking water, and no guarantee it will be safe and I’m afraid it will turn out like Camp Lejeune."
Buchanan is referring to the 1982 discovery that for more than 30 years, water on the Marine Corps base was contaminated with hazardous chemicals from dry cleaners and other sources.
Silfab could not be reached for comment, but they told York County Council officials during this week’s meeting that they will run an environmentally safe operation. They say the millions of gallons of water solar panel production requires will be stripped of contaminants before it is released into the area’s water system.
A local fire department official told the council that they have no major concerns about Silfab’s operation. But council member Debi Cloninger pressed company officials at the meeting.
"Can you write me an agreement right now that those chemicals that are going to leak out of that air filtration system will not cause cancer in 10 years from now?" Cloninger asked. "Can you guarantee our community? Because I live a mile away. I want to make sure that I’m safe, and my grandchildren are safe, all the kids next door, 13,000 feet away, want to know they are safe and won’t have cancer."
Other council members say Silfab Solar has been transparent about its operation, and they believe it will be environmentally safe. Council Chairwoman Christi Cox describes the project this way:
"It’s a major investment that will create 800 skilled jobs and establish the company as a cutting-edge manufacturer in our community," Cox said. "It is particularly significant in that it will help position us as a more competitive player, the U.S. as a more competitive player in a previously monopolized and highly technical solar industry. And I think we should welcome Silfab here because I think they will be a good partner.
Silfab will receive a tax break in the form of a negotiated fee, something some residents opposed, but a tool many cities use to attract businesses. Cox did amend the legislation to increase the company’s promised pay for hourly wage earners from $20 to $22 an hour. The company will also be required to carry environmental insurance in case of an accident and a cleanup is needed.
An online petition against the solar plant is still garnering signatures as Silfab officials await a permit from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. DHEC will hold a public hearing before making a decision — something Wally Buchanan sees as a chance to continue his fight to keep the solar panel company from operating next door to his family.
