County Approves Incentives for Showa Denko

A Japanese graphite manufacturing plant in Ridgeville will receive an incentive package to move forward with its $200 million expansion that could bring 90 jobs to the area.

But Showa Denko's expansion hinges on an air permit through the Environmental Protection Agency.

During Monday's regular meeting, Dorchester County Council unanimously approved incentives to "induce the company to acquire, construct and equip additional facilities for production and distribution of high technology goods," according to the agreement.

The agreement includes a fee-in-lieu of taxes and inclusion in a multicounty industrial park.

According to the Charleston Regional Business Journal, the expansion has not cleared its "last hurdle."

The project’s last hurdle is an air quality permit from the Environmental Protection Agency, (County Council Chair Larry) Hargett said.

The EPA referred questions about the permit to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, which wasn’t available for comment.

“It’s still contingent or subject to Showa Denko getting the EPA air permit approved,” Hargett has previously said. “I’m a little bit concerned about that.”

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