Community
The Oropesa Project is developed in the Guadiato Valley, a region with a strong territorial identity and a long historical relationship with mining and industrial activity. The independent socioeconomic analysis of the project reveals that it is a territory facing relevant structural challenges, such as progressive population loss, demographic ageing, and limited capacity to generate stable and diversified employment.
In this context, the Oropesa Project is presented as a long-term industrial initiative, with the capacity to integrate into the territory and contribute significantly to the economic and social development of the region. The local community is considered an essential stakeholder, and its social and economic reality has been incorporated into the project design from the initial phases.
The approach of Minas de Estaño de España is based on continued presence, respect for the territory and transparency, understanding that project development must be built in a way compatible with daily life, expectations and real needs of the local population.
Actions with the community
The Socioeconomic Study identifies the Oropesa Project as an initiative with high capacity to drive the local economy, hardly replaceable by other business projects of comparable scale in the region’s timeframe.
Actions with the community are aimed at leveraging this potential in an organized and realistic way, through specific lines of action:
Stable and skilled employment
The project foresees a significant workforce of direct employment, complemented by an even greater volume of indirect employment through contractors and auxiliary companies. The study highlights that modern metal mining generates stable, diverse employment with wages above the regional average, contributing to population retention and reduction of demographic aging.
Boost to local business activity
The project has the capacity to promote the creation and consolidation of auxiliary companies and local suppliers. This capacity is reinforced by the Just Transition Programme, which opens opportunities for financial support for the development of activities linked to mining operations.
Education, training and knowledge transfer
The region has a unique asset: the Belmez Mining School of Engineering, with qualifications directly related to mining, energy and engineering. The project offers a real opportunity for connection between training, employment and industrial activity, strengthening local human capital.
Purchases and services in the local area
The Oropesa Project prioritizes the purchase of assets and services in the local and regional sphere whenever technically viable, maximizing the multiplier effect of the project on the territory’s economy.
These actions are developed progressively and consistently with project evolution, avoiding commitments that cannot be fulfilled and aligning with the real capacities of the area.
Dialogue channels
The Socioeconomic Study emphasizes the importance of participation and social perception in the development of industrial projects in rural territories. In line with this recommendation, the Oropesa Project is committed to a model of open, accessible and permanent dialogue.
Dialogue channels include:
The objective of these channels is to provide clear information, resolve doubts with data and build confidence, recognizing the diversity of opinions and fostering constructive exchange.
A contribution of general interest
The Socioeconomic Study concludes that the Oropesa Project presents sufficient economic and social reasons to be considered of general interest, as it is an initiative with capacity to:
This contribution is not limited to the municipality where the deposit is located, but extends to the entire Guadiato Valley, depending on workers’ residence and the location of companies and services linked to the project.
