Upper Vistula Waterway

The study presents the results of the analysis of the social costs and benefits related to the operation of the Upper Vistula Waterway and planned investments in improving navigation conditions on this waterway – in particular concerning the planned new barrages in Niepołomice. In line with the adopted assumptions, the balance of costs and benefits of all decision-making scenarios proves that the investment generates net socio-economic losses regardless of the assumptions made as to the value of important factors such as the discount rate and the level of maintenance costs of the Niepołomice barrage. Depending on the adopted assumptions, net losses resulting from the implementation of the investment project are in the range of PLN 0.1 – 4.0 billion for the entire project implementation period considered in the analysis (after deducting the positive balance for BAU, they in the range of PLN 0.3 – 4.3 billion), while sticking to the BAU is associated with a positive balance of social benefits and costs in the range of PLN 29.7 – 218.5 million for the same period.