First Solar Investing $330M on New Module Finishing Plant in South Carolina

Photovoltaic panel manufacturer First Solar investing billions on extending its U.S. production and module development.

The company expects to spend about $330 million on building its new Gaffney facility in Cherokee County, South Carolina. The 3.7-GW Gaffney site will be focused around onshoring final production processes for Series 6 Plus modules in which work was initiated by the international fleet.

First Solar hopes to create 600 new jobs at the Gaffney plant, which it expects to complete in the second half of 2026. Arizona-based First Solar, named one of the “World’s Best Companies” last year by TIME and Statista, overall is anticipating $4.5 billion in capital spending on its American production and supply chain, possibly reaching more than 17 GW in capacity by 2027.

First Solar has benefitted from credits through the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act, and now will build the South Carolina plant in anticipation of higher U.S. energy demand incentivized through the Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Administration’s trade policies boosted demand for American energy technology, requiring a timely, agile response that allows us to meet the moment,” said Mark Widmar, chief executive officer, First Solar. “We expect that this new facility will enable us to serve the US market with technology that is compliant with the Act’s stringent provisions, within timelines that align with our customers’ objectives.”

The onshored processes will transform thin film solar cells produced by First Solar’s international fleet into fully completed modules. The facility will expand First Solar’s footprint in South Carolina, which includes a distribution center in Duncan, Spartanburg County, and a partnership with Inland Port Greer.

First Solar’s Series 6 modules are based around the company’s unique cadmium telluride (CdTe) composition, developed as a cost-effective alternative to silicon.

The Gaffney plant is part of the company’s solar technology manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere and includes three fully vertically integrated manufacturing facilities in Ohio, and one each in Alabama and Louisiana, along with R&D centers in Ohio and California.

First Solar employs more than 5,000 people throughout its U.S. operations, according to reports.