Global Compact International Yearbook 2014

aCCIOna
aCCIOna eXPOrtS
SuStaInaBILItY
By Juan Ramón Silva Ferrada, ACCIONA
ACCIONA’s business model is tightly linked to sustainability.
ACCIONA’s 2015 Sustainability Master Plan states that each
new international project must be backed up by a social
impact assessment. The point is to ensure respectful and
efficient interaction with local communities, mitigate
risks, and improve the company’s relationships with the
communities where it operates. As a flagship of ACCIONA’s
commitment to the local residents of project areas, one
could do no better than to look to the Mexican state of
Oaxaca, where the company has four wind farms, and to
Brisbane, Australia, where ACCIONA is participating in the
construction and operation of the Legacy Way Tunnel.
ACCIONA’s social initiatives are adapted to
local needs, but they all shared a common
denominator: Everything was done based
on a thorough knowledge of the communities
in question and on the search for ongoing
dialogue with local residents in order
to contribute to community development.
ACCIONA México: A model of
involvement with local communities
Oaxaca is one of the least-developed states
in Mexico. However, the region of the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in Oaxaca, has
terrific wind potential. ACCIONA Energía
has four wind farms in the region (a total
of 556 MW, enough power to satisfy the
needs of 1,300,000 homes), and has more
renewable energy capacity installed than
any other company in Mexico.
As part of its Sustainability Master Plan,
when ACCIONA set up shop in Oaxaca,
it shouldered a commitment with local
communities to manage the social impacts
of its business responsibly. But how
could it apply that philosophy effectively
to real life in Oaxaca?
The first thing that sets ACCIONA’s social
responsibility initiatives apart is that they
are based on regular studies of target
populations’ needs. Using the findings
from consultations, the company has
undertaken a series of actions organized
according to a scheme called the Social Action
Plan, which aims to align ACCIONA’s
social contribution with local needs.
For instance, in the health area, ACCIONA
is cooperating with the Mexican Foundation
for Family Planning and the
Secretary of Health for the State of
Oaxaca in campaigns to prevent and
detect cervical and uterine cancer in
women, and prostate cancer in men and
to avoid unwanted pregnancies and HIV
transmission in teens and young adults.
A landmark in ACCIONA’s social contribution
in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
is the Eco-efficient Community Centre.
The center was built according to the
principles of bioclimatic architecture, so
it is energetically sustainable. It serves
as a multiple use venue for health talks
and workshops that ACCIONA organizes
in cooperation with the Mexican Foundation
for Family Planning.
ACCIONA’s environmental commitment
was also embodied in reforestation campaigns,
through which more than 150
hectares of lowland forest were replanted
in cooperation with the National Commission
for Protected Natural Areas.
ACCIONA is also working to promote
education as a basic right. The company
provides scholarships at various levels
of the educational system for budding
engineers and specialists in wind energy.
It also equips local women with tools
154 Global Compact International Yearbook 2014