We act and compete as a Mexican company

Established in Mexico for 35 years now, ACCIONA has consolidated its business across the different divisions and offers full continuity for all projects.

Guillermo Jiménez Michavila has spent four years at the head of ACCIONA Mexico, dedicating his experience to a market where ACCIONA has been carrying out flagship projects for over three decades.

How has ACCIONA's presence evolved in Mexico over the last few years?

The presence of all the Group's divisions has grown significantly and it is now fully consolidated. ACCIONA arrived in Mexico in 1978. During the 1980s and 1990s, activity centered on buildings for private clients. A decade ago, we began to diversify and today we can proudly say that all ACCIONA divisions are involved in important projects. In Energy, with 552MW of wind power installed, we are the leaders in renewables; in Water, we are building the world's biggest wastewater treatment plant which will serve Mexico City; our Real Estate is among the most prestigious in Mexico; in Infrastructure, alongside ACCIONA Engineering, we have managed to diversify greatly, with concessions, roads, hospitals and educational buildings, ports, and industrial complexes, and recently opened an ACCIONA Service office.

What does the incorporation of ACCIONA Service bring to the Company and the Mexican market?

ACCIONA offers what few other companies can: the ability to see a project out to the end and give it continuity. That might be designing and building a hospital, a university or a wind farm, etc.; the Company's offer compared to competitors is always much more comprehensive and more competitive, pricewise too. ACCIONA Service has extensive experience in working for both public and private sector clients and brings optimum solutions to projects for both government and Mexican companies.

"We have been in Mexico since 1978 and are here to stay. We are very involved in the development of Mexican society"

What is the key to ACCIONA being recognized as an established Mexican company?

I am convinced that becoming deeply embedded in countries, and being able to compete with local rivals on an equal footing, is essential to succeeding in our internationalization process. In 30 years in Mexico, we have become a prominent local presence, with a thorough knowledge of the market, and have carried out significant investments in all the businesses and have the clear determination to stay here for the long term. Meanwhile, we train local workers and help them develop their careers in ACCIONA, ensure that our partner companies grow with us, bring technological development to the country, undertake CSR programs, and collaborate with the Mexican authorities so that we increasingly become a Mexican company, with a Spanish parent, rather than just the subsidiary of a foreign company.

Proof of this is the agreement signed with the Mexican government to train workers in occupational health and safety.

Yes. We signed this accord with the Mexican authorities on 14 June to contribute to the improvement of working conditions in the construction sector, which has special importance in the country, by promoting, encouraging and strengthening legal compliance. It consists of making our experience and best practices in workplace health and safety available to Mexican society.

What are ACCIONA's challenges in Mexico at this time?

Mexico is currently beginning a new phase of government during which heavy investment in infrastructure and energy can be expected to drive the country's growth. In this context, we at ACCIONA Infrastructure are working to continue participating in different kinds of works and hope for bigger contract volume. In Water and Service, we are also looking to win new projects. In Real Estate acti- vity, we hope to continue with the success of our developments, and in Energy to consolidate our leadership position in wind power while also generating projects in other techno-logies. To sum up, we at ACCIONA want to strengthen our local pre-sence, internal controls, positioning and commitment to Mexico.

Social commitment

ACCIONA has received the Mexican Socially Responsible Company (ESR) award for the third year running - as recognition of its best practices in Corporate Social Responsibility. For many years now, the Group has promoted activities in communities where it is carrying out mainly long-term projects such as concessions and wind farms. Actions assessed when considering the award included the participation of 2,000 women from communities near ACCIONA's wind farms in cervical cancer prevention and general health care, and sustainability workshops held for 1,100 students to train them in energy saving, water consumption, sustainable development and innovation.