First Solar inaugurated the first phase of its roughly $330 million plant in Gaffney, South Carolina, on Wednesday, October 28, according to the company. The facility takes thin film solar cells made at First Solar’s international plants and turns them into finished Series 6 Plus modules.
The guest list stretched well beyond Gaffney.
City Hall to the Cabinet:
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster
US Senator Darline Graham
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick
State Senator Harvey Peeler
State Representatives Dennis Moss and Brian Lawson
Gaffney Mayor Lyman D. Dawkins III
Payroll on the Rise:
The facility currently employs about 500 people
Headcount is forecast to reach nearly 700 by the middle of 2027
That’s also when the plant’s second phase is expected to be finished
First Solar’s legal fine print notes that both the job target and the phase two timeline are projections, and actual results could differ.
Quick Turnaround: Gaffney is First Solar’s sixth US facility, part of more than $5 billion the company has invested in American manufacturing and R&D since 2019. According to Widmar, the plant was ready to produce less than a year after the company selected the site.
For now, Gaffney has about 500 jobs and a forecast for more. The middle of 2027 is when that forecast gets tested.
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