First Solar, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, is to establish a new facility in Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina. The firm says that the purpose of the new site is “to onshore final production processes for Series 6 Plus modules initiated by the company’s international fleet.”
First Solar expects to spend approximately $330 million to establish the new facility, which is scheduled to commence commercial operations in the second half of 2026. The facility is forecast to create over 600 new jobs with an average manufacturing salary of $74,000 per year, approximately twice the per capita income in Cherokee County, the firm says.
The South Carolina facility was catalyzed by demand for domestically-produced energy technology created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump in July 2025.
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