Silfab has restarted chemical work at its South Carolina plant, a report says

A report says Silfab Solar has restarted chemical work at its solar plant in Fort Mill, South Carolina, after an eight-month pause. The report, published November 9, says the company has resumed chemical commissioning at the $150 million cell and module factory. It says the pause followed chemical leaks reported in March.

The leaks were potassium hydroxide and hydrofluoric acid. The report says the two releases came in the same week in March and prompted a multi-agency investigation by state regulators and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It says chemical manufacturing stopped. Panel assembly was the only work allowed during the pause. The report does not say anyone was hurt.

The restart followed a state notice and an outside review. The report says Silfab filed a mandatory 72-hour notice with the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services before resuming chemical operations. It says TRC Engineers reviewed the plant's procedures after the leaks. It says that review, and a compliance agreement with state regulators, cleared the chemical processes to start again.

The report does not give a full production date. It says chemical commissioning has restarted. It does not say the plant is shipping cells, and it does not give a volume or a workforce figure for the restart.

The pause was not a full shutdown of the building. The report says the plant kept assembling panels while chemical work was stopped. It says procedures, safety systems and equipment were reassessed under the state compliance agreement before the chemical line was cleared to start again.