US thin-film solar manufacturer First Solar has inaugurated the first 1.7GW phase of its US$330 million module manufacturing facility in Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina.
The inauguration marks the final production processes for its Series 6 Plus PV modules in the US. According to the firm, the Gaffney plant’s capacity is set to double to 3.4GW when the second phase is completed in mid-2027. The facility uses thin-film cells produced at the company’s overseas sites to complete the final manufacturing stages of its Series 6 Plus modules.
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“Every module that leaves this facility is made without dependence on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains, and it strengthens our ability to deliver the certainty our customers need as American electricity demand grows,” said First Solar CEO Mark Widmar.
The plant currently employs around 500 people, with the workforce expected to increase to nearly 700 by mid-2027, when the second phase is scheduled to be completed. At that point, the facility’s capacity is expected to double to 3.4GW.
First Solar announced plans for the Gaffney facility in late 2025 as part of its expansion of US manufacturing operations. Once fully commissioned, the site will bring the company’s total US nameplate manufacturing capacity to approximately 17.7GW.
First Solar said it expects to have invested more than US$5 billion in US manufacturing and research and development (R&D) infrastructure by the end of 2026.
The manufacturer did not disclose further details on the expected output of the Gaffney facility beyond the stated capacity of its two phases.
First Solar operates three integrated manufacturing facilities in Ohio, alongside plants in Alabama and Louisiana, and research and development centres in Ohio and California. It has targeted 17GW of US module manufacturing capacity by 2027.
