A public hearing is scheduled for Monday to answer questions about the air permit being sought for a proposed solar manufacturing facility in Fort Mill.
Silfab Solar Inc. is working to bring their operations to Stateline 77 on Logistics Lane in Fort Mill, where Ross, Stanley Black & Decker, DHL and FedEx also occupy distribution space. The project would require $150 million in investment and create 800 jobs, county officials say.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is hosting a public hearing beginning at 6 p.m. Monday (Oct. 30) at the Fort Mill School District Office Training Center, located at 2233 Deerfield Drive in Fort Mill.
County Council member Debi Cloninger said she has concerns, saying that four engineers investigated Silfab’s application and found disturbing information.
“My greatest concerns are the 2,000 students who are only 1,300 feet away from these hazardous chemicals,” she said.
Cloninger has previously expressed concerns about the additional traffic the facility will bring to an already overburdened road.
A Fact Sheet sent to residents of Regent Park say the latest battle is with DHEC, who will have to permit the air filtration system that will emit Silane, Hydrofluoric acid and Toluene. Silane is highly explosive and has a one-mile evacuation in all directions, the fact sheet says.
“The building was built for distribution ONLY,” the fact sheet says. “Can this building be upfitted enough that DHEC can assure us that the public will be safe with toxic chemicals in this structure? What about all the trucks on our roads delivering these deadly chemicals?
DHEC Is also accepting public comments until Nov. 3. Residents can email their comments to AirPNComments@dhec.sc.gov.
Silfab has its corporate offices in Mississauga, Ontario with U.S. offices in Washington State.