Personal Injury Attorney in York, SC

YORK, S.C. —

A chemical spill has been reported at a solar plant in South Carolina, according to officials.

Update from York County Emergency Management:

"Silfab has released a statement regarding the number of gallons released and the concentration of the chemical involved. The original number of gallons we referred to in our statement was provided by Silfab. After receiving additional information, it has now been determined the number of gallons is closer to 300 and there is a lower concentration of Potassium Hydroxide needing to be contained. Regardless of the concentration and amount, mitigation would be required and it poses no danger to the public."

The following was posted by York County Emergency Management on Tuesday:

"At approximately 9:45 a.m., there was an incident at 7149 Logistics Lane, which resulted in 1530 gallons of potassium hydroxide being released. A majority of the chemicals, 1500 gallons, were contained by Silfab’s retention pool. Emergency responders were on scene within three minutes and confirmed the incident posed no danger to the public. The remaining 30 gallons of potassium hydroxide are being mitigated by a York County hazmat team and private contractors. Please avoid the area. Emergency vehicles will remain onsite, but again there is no danger to the public."

The address listed is for Silfab Solar.

According to The Chlorine Institute, "Potassium hydroxide, commonly known as caustic potash, has the chemical formula (KOH). It is an inorganic compound produced by an electrolytic process using a potassium chloride salt and water (brine) feedstock. It is most commonly available at a range of 45 to 50% concentrated solution though other formulations and products exist. The solution is corrosive to body tissue and readily reacts with a variety of metallurgy. It is commonly shipped via pipeline, vessel, barge, rail tank car, cargo tank (truck), and other smaller containers. Potassium hydroxide has a wide variety of applications in many industries, including agricultural fertilizers, runway re-icing fluid, alkaline batteries, petroleum refining, cosmetics, soaps and detergents, and water treatment (pH adjustment)."

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ROCK HILL — As Rock Hill residents prepared for the possibility of freezing pipes and power outages, an ice storm warning issued by the National Weather Service took effect Saturday afternoon.

The ice storm warning began at 1 p.m. Saturday and runs through 1 p.m. Monday. Damaging cold and ice is expected across the Upstate with “total snow and sleet accumulations up to two inches and ice accumulations between three-quarters inch and one inch,” along with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour.

Chris Horne, meteorologist for the National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg, said 24 hours of wintry precipitation is expected for Rock Hill and York County.

Residents may see a bit of sleet and freezing rain Saturday afternoon and evening, but the main weather event will begin overnight.

“As the nighttime wears on, precipitation will become more widespread,” Horne said. “There will likely be sleet accumulations, along with the beginning of ice accretion as well. It’s going to continue to precipitate throughout Sunday, and the main precipitation type will change to freezing rain. That’s where we expect the threat for the heavier type of ice accumulations to develop. And then precipitation tapers off Sunday night.”

Horne said he would be shocked if there were any snowfall in the area.

“We have some warmer air arriving aloft, which melts snowflakes before they have the chance to reach the ground,” Horne said. “Tonight it’ll be cold enough to support sleet, and then by the time we get into Sunday just liquid, but unfortunately it’s going to be cold enough where it’s going to be what we call freezing rain.”

Gov. Henry McMaster announced Jan. 24 that his request to President Donald Trump for a federal emergency disaster declaration the previous day had been approved. It will provide federal aid in addition to state and local response efforts to the winter storm.

While the S.C. Department of Transportation works to keep roadways and bridges open, drivers should avoid travel if possible as ice accumulations rapidly increase late Saturday night into Sunday morning, the NWS said. Treacherous road conditions and power outages will remain Sunday night and are likely to stick around through at least Monday.

“Heading into Sunday, when you have a better chance of seeing damage caused from the freezing rain accumulations, you’re just going to have to be wary of the potential of sagging trees, large branches being snapped and falling into the road, utility lines being weighed down — and those could actually snap eventually or trees could fall into the lines as well,” Horne said.

The data center is being built near Lake Wylie along Campbell Road and Hand Mill Highway.

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Residents in York County are once again voicing concerns about the QTS Data Center project near Lake Wylie, as construction continues and county leaders reaffirm their support for the development.

During a public meeting this week, community members had the opportunity to speak directly with QTS officials and learn more about the project’s potential impact. Many of the concerns raised focused on environmental effects and the facility’s energy demands.

The data center is being built near Lake Wylie along Campbell Road and Hand Mill Highway.

York County Councilman William “Bump” Roddey acknowledged residents’ concerns, but said county leaders do not believe they rise to the level of halting the project.

“All concerns are valid concerns, but are they concerns enough for us to halt this project? I don't think they've risen to that level at this point,” Roddey said.

County leaders say the project represents a significant investment in York County. Roddey said council members believe the development will help grow the county’s tax base, support the school system, and bring long-term economic benefits to the area.

However, not all neighbors are convinced.

Some residents living adjacent to the construction site have posted signs outside their homes in opposition to the project. One nearby resident, who did not want to go on camera, told WCNC Charlotte that construction noise has been waking his family as early as 5:30 a.m.

A petition to stop the data center, started by resident Stacy Armstrong, is calling on county leaders to reassess the zoning and approval process. Armstrong argues the county should look beyond economic gains and consider the long-term impact on residents and the environment. The petition has gathered about 800 signatures so far.

Energy usage has also been a key concern. Roddey said the company was required to secure approvals from energy providers, including Duke Energy, to ensure power needs could be met for year-round operations.

“They had to get authorizations [from] energy providers such as Duke to assure they would be able to provide the energy consumption they would be able to pull on a 365 operation year-round. Apparently, those were met,” Roddey said.

Environmental concerns, including tree removal and the changing character of the area, were also discussed.

“Trees give us an abundance of oxygen, and it plays into the beautification of what York County has been known for for many, many years. This is not the York County I grew up in 50 years ago. Things change. Housing development comes,” Roddey said.

Roddey added that with construction already underway, backing out of the agreement could create major financial liability for the county and potentially shift costs onto taxpayers.

For now, county leaders say the project is moving forward, but for many residents, questions remain about what the long-term impact will be.

Despite hearing answers directly from data center company QTS on its $1 billion project in Lake Wylie, many neighbors say their concerns have only grown as the data center project seems bigger than ever.

“We saw one beautiful building, glass walls and an American flag,” said former York County Council member Allison Love, who sat on Council when the project was approved for construction three years ago.

Renderings on Tuesday showed nine buildings. The scale is larger than what Love thought it would be when voting for it.

“I’m all for economic development,” she said. “I’m not for economic development that impacts people (negatively).”

The data center is expected to add 200 QTS on-site jobs, at a median income of about $80,000 per year. That’s in addition to an estimated dozen jobs from companies that use the site for data storage.

“The transparency is a big problem for me,” said neighbor Julie Ferraro.

She’s also concerned with strain on the power grid. Along with QTS, ongoing construction in the area includes a new high school, new elementary school and more homes.

“I don’t get it, when we already have a strain right now with what we have,” Ferraro said.

Steve and Judy Penland, longtime owners of the well-known Penland Christmas Tree Farm that borders the QTS property, brought renderings showing how an 80-foot-tall data center overlooking their farm would look. York County approved a code change last year to allow taller data centers, at the request of QTS.

Issues from lighting to the building height would be dramatic for customers at the farm, Steve Penland said.

“They want the farm experience, going out to the country to cut a Christmas tree,” he said.

From school funding to job creation to the work done at the site, there are significant benefits to the QTS project, said company Vice President of Community Engagement Karen DiMaggio.

“Everything in our lives is connected to the internet,” she said. “Every day, you’re using your phones, your tablets, your computers. We run the systems that post the information.”

QTS plans in York County

Three years ago, QTS spent more than $10 million to buy hundreds of acres off Hands Mill Highway and Campbell Road. The company also negotiated a tax incentive deal with York County.

Data centers are a growing industry nationwide, fueled largely by the growth of artificial intelligence platforms. Details about specific projects, from costs to environmental impacts, are often difficult to find.

QTS touted a $1 billion investment with its data center project in Lake Wylie. The company would be allowed to pay the county a fee instead of property taxes for 40 years.

Last spring, York County changed its development rules to allow taller data centers — up to 80 feet — in line with QTS’ plans for a 5.3 million-square-foot facility. In late December, QTS bought more than 400 acres of Paraham Road property for $26.1 million.

The company now owns nearly 800 acres in the area.

QTS doesn’t have plans for the property purchased in December, but it could be used as a buffer or for future growth, DiMaggio said.

Water and power concerns

Based in Virginia, QTS has more than 20 years experience building data centers. The company has more than 2,000 employees and more than 90 buildings in the U.S. and Europe.

A primary public concern with a new data center, DiMaggio said, is water.

“There is a lot of misinformation out in the community about water usage and data centers,” she said. “Old practices had an evaporative cooling system. Water was pumped in on a daily basis, using thousands and thousands of gallons every day.”

Now, she said, water is pumped into the facility only once and operates on a closed-loop system. The initial fill is about the amount of water in four Olympic-size swimming pools. The daily water usage is about 18,000 gallons, DiMaggio said, or less than what two typical households would use.

“It’s office water use,” she said. “It’s kitchens, because we have offices in there. So people use the restroom, wash their hands, they drink out of the water fountains. That is our use of water. That’s it.”

Another concern is power. York Electric Cooperative will serve the site, but it’s actually power provided by Duke Energy that will be used. Duke will sell power to York Electric partner Central Electric Power Cooperative, and York Electric will sell it back to QTS with a markup.

Increased need for power will be treated the same way it would for large industrial additions, population growth and other needs tied to the electric system, experts said Tuesday. York Electric customers shouldn’t notice a difference, said President and CEO Craig Spencer.

“If anything, it should help minimize future rate increases because we will have this revenue that will be coming in that we don’t have to make infrastructure investments for, paybacks for,” he said. “We will be able to use those margins to help offset our fixed costs.”

QTS to build over several years

The 1,000 construction jobs could last five to seven years, DiMaggio said. Four building are under construction, with the first expected to be ready by 2028. In 2027, the company expects to start the next round of construction on five more buildings.

For some, there’s excitement with that activity. Sheila Quinn, superintendent of the Clover School District, compares QTS to Catawba Nuclear Station, which has for decades provided a significant tax base to support schools. The Clover area doesn’t get large manufacturers the way other parts of York County do, Quinn said.

Numbers change over time in the tax incentive deal, but Clover schools expect to get several million dollars per year based on current QTS plans.

“It’s like another power plant,” Quinn said. “It will help tremendously.”

Some neighbors of the property, though, are in the York School District, which doesn’t get that same benefit. For many, the issue is whether QTS fits in the community. They can’t do much about ongoing construction, but there’s concerned if more is proposed.

“It’s a small town,” Ferraro said. “I understand we have to grow. The fact that it’s grown exponentially is beyond what this town can accommodate.”