The mayor, Pilar Miranda, presented to international representatives "the success story of Huelva as a paradigm of urban and social transformation thanks to the green energy revolution".
Huelva is the great protagonist of the energy revolution in Europe. It is a success story that has attracted the attention of international local representatives present at the VI World Forum on Local Economic Development held this week in Fibes. For this reason, the mayor of the city, Pilar Miranda, has been invited to participate in one of the presentations of the meeting along with the Deputy Minister of Industry of the Junta de Andalucía, Cristóbal Sánchez; the director of Sines Tecnopolo (Portugal), Tiago Santos; and the director of Economic Studies and Statistics of the planning secretariat of the state of Piauí (Brazil), Diarlison Lucas Silva da Costa. The debate was moderated by the Third Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Economic Development, European Funds, Employment, Housing and Social Services, Adela de Mora. All this in front of an international audience with representatives from fifteen countries.
The city has captured 53% of the industrial investment arriving in Andalusia since 2024, which brings the figure committed to Huelva and its industrial environment to more than 5.8 billion euros. This is a vital sector. As the mayoress explained, "we are an industrial city, with a past, present and future marked by industry and its different revolutions, which have been key to understanding the city we enjoy today and the one we will be in the coming years". Huelva is the province with the highest weight of its industrial sector, exceeding 23%, well above the Andalusian average (11.2%). All this without forgetting that it is also the province with the largest area of protected natural areas. This also demonstrates "the perfect balance between sustainable industry and respect for the environment in our land".
Miranda has exposed all the resources available in Huelva's territory, while defending that "we have administrations dedicated to industrial development and the arrival of investors. The City Council is a proactive ally of the companies. I am a strong advocate of public-private collaboration, of a form of government based on consensus and dialogue, as evidenced by the magnificent relationship between administrations, which is key to providing guarantees to investors".
One of the key factors in Huelva's economic development that has attracted the most attention is "the In Huelva Crossing Business tool, which is essential to respond to all the needs that any company may have. In it we offer all the resources available in the city for companies and their workers. From housing, to schools, university centers or green spaces because with the industries come people to develop their life projects. All this together with an Investor Assistance Unit, which facilitates the procedures for all those who choose Huelva to develop their business projects".
At the moment, between confirmed projects and others in the study phase, there are more than 20 in the Investor Assistance Unit that reinforce the policy of "red carpet to those who want to generate employment, opportunities and wealth for the people of Huelva". The industrial revolution represents "a historic opportunity for the city. But also a challenge. The industry needs qualified and trained professionals". Therefore, as the mayor explained, one of the priorities is the training of qualified personnel. Miranda has detailed the training plans in collaboration with other entities or the homologation of classrooms to provide specific teaching for the real needs of the labor market. A successful employment policy that guarantees an employability that exceeds 50%, which proves that "a highly specialized training adapted to the specific needs and profiles of the participants, as well as to the real needs of the companies, improves considerably the opportunities of labor insertion".
The City Council is aware that the energy revolution that the industry is experiencing represents an opportunity for urban, economic and social transformation. Huelva will be the green capital of southern Europe, and is working every day to achieve this, to strengthen its image as a benchmark for the Green Industry, linking "the name of Huelva to sustainable and environmentally friendly projects, with the repercussions that this may have for investment, tourism, development and, ultimately, the future of the city as a human, green and friendly urban model". It is a transformation that "affects all levels". The mayor explained the growth and development plans for areas such as Ensanche Sur or San Antonio Montija, while showing her commitment to make Huelva an example of decarbonization. To this end, he explained the commitment to sustainable mobility or energy efficiency, with a macro project that has been allocated an investment of one million euros to modernize the city's public lighting with more efficient lights in all streets. In this regard, the modernization of the irrigation system to take advantage of every drop of water through artificial intelligence captured the attention of all attendees. A firm commitment of the City Council that has led it to be distinguished as a City of Science and Innovation (MICIU).
