First Solar has opened its new solar module facility in Gaffney, South Carolina, holding a celebration to inaugurate the first phase of production at what is slated to become a 3.4 GW plant. The event featured company executives, community leaders and politicians from several levels of government.
The company plans to use the facility to onshore the final production processes for Series 6 Plus thin-film modules initiated at its international facilities. First Solar says the investment was driven by rising domestic demand for U.S.-made energy equipment following recent federal trade policies and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July 2025.
The second phase of the $330 million plant is expected to be complete by mid-2027, bringing the facility’s capacity from 1.7 GW to 3.4 GW of modules featuring the company’s CuRe technology. First Solar says it has already filled 500 jobs at the facility and expects to bring on nearly 200 more as the facility reaches full production.
Guests at the inauguration included South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, U.S. Senator Darline Graham, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, South Carolina Senator Harvey Peeler, South Carolina Representatives Dennis Moss and Brian Lawson and Gaffney Mayor Lyman D. Dawkins III, who joined plant workers and First Solar CEO Mark Widmar in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Thanks to First Solar’s investment, South Carolinians are building American energy technology in Gaffney, with nearly 700 good-paying jobs expected to support this critical work,” said McMaster in a statement. “This is another example of why South Carolina continues to be recognized as a manufacturing powerhouse and a leader in our nation’s energy future.”
Widmar added his own thoughts about the new plant: “Less than a year after we selected Gaffney, this facility is ready to produce American solar technology, built by South Carolinian workers,” he said in a statement. “That pace reflects what is possible when sound policy, strong state and local partners, and a committed workforce align.”
U.S. and global production capacity
The Gaffney plant is First Solar’s sixth U.S. manufacturing facility, joining three existing plants in Ohio and single facilities in Alabama and Louisiana, alongside research and development centers in California and Ohio. The company also operates a distribution center in Duncan, South Carolina, and maintains a partnership with Inland Port Greer for shipments of its products.
During its second-quarter 2026 earnings call in July, company executives noted that relocating production equipment from Southeast Asia to support the South Carolina finishing operation leaves the company with roughly 1.8 GW of end-to-end, fully finished module capacity across Malaysia and Vietnam, while the remaining international Series 6 lines supply unfinished modules to the Gaffney plant.
First Solar has said it expects its cumulative investment in U.S. manufacturing and R&D infrastructure since 2019 to exceed $5 billion by the end of 2026. By 2027, once the second phase of the Gaffney plant is complete, the company forecasts its total domestic module manufacturing capacity will reach approximately 17 GW.
Across its entire global fleet, First Solar forecasts total actual module production of 16.5 GW to 17.5 GW in 2026, rising to between 18.9 GW and 20.5 GW in 2027.
The company is scheduled to report its Q3 2026 financial results after the market closes on Oct. 29, 2026.
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