On 10 October, the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on the establishment of a multi-annual programme called “Development of the Lower Vistula”. The document envisages financing the construction of a barrage on the Vistula at around the village of Siarzewo.
The main objective of the Programme is the comprehensive development of the waterway of the Lower Vistula through the provision of navigable conditions allowing an increase in the dynamics of the development of inland water transport and water tourism, as well as the development of hydropower. In addition, the Programme will result in an increased level of flood safety in the region.
The multi-annual programme ‘Development of the Lower Vistula’ is another document aimed at improving the navigability of the transport-used section of the Vistula River. The Siarzewo dam will protect the Kujawy region from flooding, counteract drought and support the development of shipping and tourism. “It is an investment eagerly awaited by local residents and implemented with their safety in mind”, said Deputy Infrastructure Minister Marek Gróbarczyk.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, as part of the Programme, the construction of a barrage below Włocławek in Siarzewo will be realised by 2032. The investment will provide flood protection for around 100,000 residents, 13,000 residential buildings, 726 community buildings and 183 historic buildings. It will prevent potential flood losses estimated at PLN 9.5 billion. In addition, the Siarzewo barrage will have a positive impact on water retention in the region and the economic and tourist development of the Vistula River area.
The facility will consist of a dam, a navigation lock and a hydroelectric power station. The investment includes the construction of a water reservoir with a capacity of 135 million m3. The programme also envisages the construction of a hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of approximately 80 MW, which will increase annual electricity production by 350 GWh/year.
The investor will be the State Water Management Company Polish Waters. The government will allocate more than PLN 7.5 billion for the investment.
Adrian Andrzejewski