First Solar Opens $330M South Carolina Plant, Targets 3.4 GW Capacity by 2027

Key Points

• First Solar inaugurated the first phase of its approximately $330 million solar-module manufacturing facility in Gaffney, South Carolina, expanding domestic production of utility-scale solar technology.
• The company plans to complete a second phase by mid-2027, doubling annual capacity to 3.4 gigawatts and creating roughly 500 to 700 manufacturing jobs, with average annual compensation of about $74,000.
• First Solar and administration officials credited U.S. trade policies, including tariffs and minimum import prices, with supporting domestic manufacturing and reducing reliance on Chinese crystalline-silicon supply chains.

First Solar NASDAQ: FSLR inaugurated the first phase of its new solar-module manufacturing facility in Gaffney, South Carolina, a project the company described as an approximately $330 million investment intended to expand U.S. production of utility-scale solar technology.

The ribbon-cutting event brought together company executives, local and state officials, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Speakers emphasized the facility’s expected employment impact, domestic supply-chain strategy and the role of federal trade policy in supporting U.S. manufacturing.

In a video shown during the event, First Solar described the Gaffney site as its sixth U.S. facility and said it would bring final production of its Series 6 Plus solar modules back to U.S. soil. The video cited about 500 manufacturing jobs. Other speakers, including South Carolina state Sen. Harvey Peeler and U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, said the project would create more than 600 jobs, while Lutnick referred to 700 jobs.

Expansion Plans and Production Capacity

Mark Widmar, First Solar’s chief executive officer, said the company was inaugurating the facility’s first phase and was ready to produce American solar technology built by South Carolina workers. He said the company expects to complete a second phase by mid-2027, doubling the facility’s capacity to 3.4 gigawatts annually.

Widmar compared that annual capacity to the power output of roughly three-and-a-half large nuclear reactors. He said solar can be deployed faster than most other forms of new power generation and can work alongside natural gas and nuclear power to meet the electricity needs of a growing economy.

“This is just the first phase,” Widmar said. “When the second phase is completed in mid-2027, we expect to double this facility’s capacity to 3.4 GW a year.”

He said the company’s technology was developed in U.S. laboratories and does not depend on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains. First Solar operates manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Alabama and Louisiana, in addition to its new Gaffney operation, and also has a distribution center in Duncan, South Carolina.

Jobs and Local Economic Impact

Widmar said manufacturing workers at the facility will earn average annual compensation of $74,000, which he said is roughly twice Cherokee County’s per-capita income. The jobs are intended to allow workers to build careers and raise families in the communities where they live, he said.

Gaffney’s mayor said the investment would extend beyond the plant’s employees by supporting local grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, barbershops and other small businesses. The mayor described the project as an investment in opportunities for local workers, families and recent graduates.

Peeler called the plant a realization of a “field of dreams” vision for the area, citing infrastructure improvements around Interstate 85 as well as the local workforce. He said the project represented $330 million in investment and 600 new jobs.

Graham said the facility would be Cherokee County’s largest job creator and said the project reinforced the importance of “Made in the U.S.A.” manufacturing. She said quality manufacturing employment provides workers with dignity, independence and hope.

Trade Policy Focus

Widmar credited the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Trump administration’s trade policies with driving demand for U.S.-made energy technology. He specifically cited Commerce Department Section 232 actions involving tariffs and minimum import prices across the solar supply chain, from polysilicon through finished modules.

Lutnick said the administration’s policy approach included both a minimum price intended to prevent below-cost imports and a 15% tariff. He argued that the measures allow domestic manufacturers to compete against foreign producers supported by government subsidies.

“First Solar is able to build in America because these jobs and products would not be possible without the President and Department of Commerce’s strong tariffs on polysilicon,” Lutnick said.

Widmar said First Solar expects to have invested more than $5 billion in U.S. manufacturing and research-and-development infrastructure since 2019 by the end of the year. He added that the company supported 30,000 American jobs last year and expects that figure to reach 40,000 jobs by the end of next year, representing $4 billion in annual payroll.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster welcomed the company to the state and said the project was another example of businesses creating jobs that allow residents to remain in South Carolina rather than move elsewhere for work.

About First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR)

First Solar, Inc is a vertically integrated solar technology and manufacturing company that designs, manufactures and sells photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. Its modules use advanced thin-film semiconductor technology based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), rather than the crystalline-silicon technology used by most solar manufacturers. The company serves utility-scale solar developers, commercial and industrial customers, and other large-scale energy users.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, First Solar operates research and development, manufacturing and recycling facilities in the United States and internationally.

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