Greg Basden, Director of Operations at Silfab Solar, released the following statement regarding recent incidents at their Fort Mill facility:
"Silfab Solar is very committed to operating safe and secure facilities. Silfab's more than 40-year legacy is one that is focused on safety and producing high-quality solar panels.
"It is from this long history of safe operations that we are giving these recent incidents very serious attention.
"Operational status
"On Thursday, March 5, Silfab voluntarily paused operations. Silfab is not accepting any new chemical deliveries and is working closely with South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (DES) to ensure confidence and compliance on this matter in order to resume full operations as soon as feasible. Silfab is supported by more than 700 employees who are committed to operating a safe facility.
"There have been multiple inspections of our facility this week by state and county officials ensuring all protocols are followed and all the necessary equipment and monitoring systems are operating.
"Silfab looks forward to working with DES and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to inspect our operations and to review any recommendations of operating systems and procedures including any additional steps that could ensure Silfab will continue to operate with a high degree of safety.
"March 3 incident
"On this date, there was an accidental release of up to 300 gallons of water containing an extremely small amount of potassium hydroxide. This chemical is common in household products. At this dilution level (estimated to be 0.03%), there is only a slight risk of irritation.
"Silfab’s team discovered this leak and immediately initiated steps for containment. The source of the leak was stopped. However, the immediate containment of the materials wasn’t achieved and per standard emergency procedures, we called York County emergency services and provided them with detailed scenarios.
"At no time during this incident were employees or the public at risk.
"Shortly after their arrival, emergency responders assessed the situation and determined there was no immediate threat and cleared the area. A professionally licensed crew then arrived to clean up and neutralize the area. All necessary environmental and corrective work has been completed.
"Throughout the day, Silfab worked closely with state DES and York County officials. Based on these collaborative discussions and testing, it was decided – out of an abundance of caution—to remove all the standing water in a nearby on-site retention pond. As part of this remediation at the basin, crews will remove the soil at this retention pond. There is no indication the soil was contaminated, nor has any liquid from this leak been detected beyond Silfab’s property.
"Silfab is conducting an internal investigation into what caused this spill and will forward our findings to state DES. Determining the cause will enable Silfab to take further actions to prevent an incident like this from happening again.
"March 5 incident
"There was no leak on Thursday, March 5. There was no basis for alarm.
"Silfab received a delivery of hydrofluoric acid during the week of February 23 and our team identified a minor leak (approximately one drop per hour) from a bulkhead flange on a hydrofluoric acid holding tank.
"The drip was managed using standard spill absorption and neutralization materials. Initial valve adjustments reduced the drip. We are currently preparing to transfer the contents into a secondary holding tank to facilitate a full inspection and repair of the primary unit.
"It’s important to note that minor leaks of this nature are common industrial occurrences and are managed through standard onsite safety protocols. This event poses no risk to the facility or the surrounding community; for perspective, a drip of this scale in a controlled setting (such as a school laboratory) would not typically trigger a community notification.
"Again, this situation was not dangerous and never rose to a level requiring notifications or alerts to agencies, the public or the school district.
"Investigations
"Silfab has acquired evidence that one or more individuals have trespassed onto our property and possibly provided external parties with false information that may have contributed to needlessly alarming the public. We are investigating further to determine if there were any outside influences that instilled unnecessary concern and fear and have turned over evidence to local law enforcement.
"Silfab expresses its sincere apology and concern to the school parents and the greater York County community whose lives were unnecessarily disrupted this week. Silfab is a big part of this community and our families live here, too. We remain very committed to working with all parties to ensure the community remains informed and we look forward to a more positive future."
In addition, Silfab Solar released this statement:
"In collaboration with state officials, Silfab Solar will continue to pause production operations at its Fort Mill facility through the weekend (March 7-8). During this time, Silfab employees will be on site for non-production related activities while discussions with federal, state and local officials remain ongoing. Silfab looks forward to restarting assembly activities, those consistent with the safe and normal operations it began in October, on Monday at 7:00 pm following U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services reviews on site that day.
"Silfab remains committed to continuing safe operations at Fort Mill for its employees and the community and welcomes the additional reviews by DES and EPA."