Petition from Fort Mill neighbors show growing opposition to solar panel plant

by: Shaquira Speaks

Posted: Aug 3, 2023 / 10:15 PM EDT

Updated: Aug 4, 2023 / 08:44 AM EDT

YORK COUNTY, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — It’s been five months since the York County Council publicly discussed a proposal to put a Canadian-based Silfab Solar off of U.S. 21 in Fort Mill.

Neighbors say they feel unheard after several attempts to get more information from the council. They say the plant proposed for Logistics Lane poses several health and environmental risks.

“We paid good money for this house,” said Fort Mill resident Allison Dilworth. “We don’t want to see our neighborhood go down because of manufacturing, of toxic chemicals and whatever else they’re going to be using to make these panels.”

But now, she fears her quiet neighborhood may be threatened by a proposal to put a solar panel plant in their backyard.

“Right behind this property they want to put two new schools within yards of this building,” Dilworth said. “There’s also a lot of new homes going up in the area. We’ve heard that they’re going to be using 1.2 million gallons of water a day. We don’t have very good water pressure here as it is. We want to know how that’s going to affect all our houses here in the future. Where is the wastewater going to be going from all this with the chemicals in it, if it seeps into our groundwater, that’s another issue.”

The county’s proposed agreement would bring at least 800 jobs with a $150 million investment.

Dilworth says local streets are already overburdened with traffic, so a development with hundreds of jobs would be too much for their area.

She and another woman created two petitions in opposition to the plant; both have gained over 800 signatures.

“We are thinking about renting some buses to go up,” she said. “When they have this meeting, hopefully, we’ll get at least five busloads of people to come, if not more. And I tell everybody, get out your happy stuff and we’re going to be protesting.”

Several neighbors spoke in opposition to the county during the March 6 council meeting. Many asked the members to reconsider the location and the agreement.

Council voted 5-2 in favor of the proposal for the first reading. Since then, Dilworth says they’ve heard nothing.

“We don’t mind them making solar panels, just do it in a place that’s perfect for that like an industrial park, not in a community,” she said.

“They’re going to be using a lot of electricity as well. If they have to have a brownout, who’s going to be affected by that? Certainly not them,” she said. “Do they care about our community? None of us believe that they do.”

During the March 20 meeting, leaders met in an executive session to discuss contractual matters and get legal advice on the project.

Neighbors are preparing for a second council reading in September, but a county representative says there is no date set for another discussion.

According to the construction documents, the project is listed to start construction in October.

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Petition from Fort Mill neighbors show growing opposition to solar panel plant