Solid Foundations for all Investments.
Wielkopolska, in comparison with other regions, can boast of very well-developed infrastructure. The region is especially well provided with power, a developed railway network and perfectly organised air transport. Also, a model of electric energy, natural gas and oil supply is crucial. Good infrastructure is the basis of all investments. There are many of them in Wielkopolska, which means that the infrastructure meets the needs of entrepreneurs. However, both the region’s authorities, as well as its inhabitants, still see the need for further development of the infrastructure base. Hence, the numerous road works and the necessity of expansion of the range of activities of the Brown Coal Mine in Kleczew (Konin). Closer integration with the European Union and Euro 2012 encourage this kind of investment in railway transport and air transport. Without stable regional infrastructure development, the full opening of the region to investors and tourists from all over the world would not be possible.
Road Transport
The most important national roads in the region are: the A2 motorway from Berlin through Poland to Minsk, the S5 express road to Wrocław and the S11 express road to the Baltic Sea. Altogether there are 1,674 km of roads. Unfortunately, almost 20% of the national roads in the region do not meet the required technical class, including sections running through towns and villages, and this is why the region needs ring roads. Within the last couple of years ring roads in the vicinity of Śmigiel, Wolsztyn, Orzeszkowo, Gniezno, Ślesin, Nowy Tomyśl and Wągrowiec have been built. There are similar needs connected with regional roads, whose aggregate length is over 2,500 km.
Traffic on national roads in the region of Wielkopolska increased from 1995 - 2005 by 18%. The process is directly related with the increasing importance of these roads to railway and transport. Moreover, Wielkopolska has the highest number of cars registered per one thousand inhabitants in the country; the rate in the region is 403, whereas the rate for Poland amounts to 351.
Many years during which the transport system was underinvested and savings made at its expense led to a situation in which only allocation of significant financial means in a short time can help in bringing the road network to the state in accordance with the needs and expectations of the society. At the moment repair-modernisation works are ongoing and regularly increasing number of cars, as well as bad technical state of roads cause the decrease in traffic flow.
Rail, Air and Water Transport
Rail transport is an interesting alternative to road transport, although it is the latter that prevails. The length of the railway network in Wielkopolska is 2,071 km, which constitutes over 10% of the national railway network. 59% of it is electrified.
Lately, passengers have been returning to rail travel. The number of passengers transported by the Wielkopolska Regional Transport Board had been decreasing until 2005. In 2001 the number of passengers amounted to 28,390,000, but in 2001-2005 a 13% fall was recorded. However, from the first half of 2006 we have been observing stable growth in the number of passengers. Thanks to this growth, the Board of the Wielkopolska Region has introduced railbuses for passengers travelling within the region.
Poznań-Ławica, a very well known airport to all residents of Poznań, operates domestic and international destinations. The number of its passengers is systematically growing. In 2007 there were 900,000 passengers – a 400% growth in comparison with the year 2000. Other sports-service airports are located in: Swarządz (Ligowiec), Leszno (Strzyżewice), Michałków near Ostrów Wielkopolski, Kazimierz Biskupi near Konin and in Piła. Sub-regional airports are extremely important for the development of specialist transport services, as well as services connected with business and tourism.
The system of transport waterways in Wielkopolska is exceptionally advantageous. Very important waterways connected with the main rivers in the country: the Vistula River and the Warta River run through the region. Moreover, a waterway connecting the Vistula River with the Oder River is a part of the inland European waterway. The longest section of this road is the Noteć River (187km). There are commercial barges navigating the Noteć River between Ujście, Krzyż Wielkopolski and the Oder River and there is a commercial port situated in Krzyż. The second most important waterway in Wielkopolska is the Warta River. The road runs through the very centre of the region, its capital city – Poznań.
The network of waterways in the Wielkopolska region and in the neighbouring regions is also very favourable to tourist navigation. The Wielkopolska Loop (Wielka Pętla Wielkopolska) was built to emphasize these assets. The Loop runs with the Warta River through Poznań up to the mouth of the Noteć River in the city of Sanok (lubuskie region). Then with the Noteć River through Czarnków to Bydgoszcz, with the Górnonotecki Canal through Lake Gopło and the Ślesiński Canal, ending in Konin. The Noteć section of the Wielkopolska Loop will become a part of the water trail from Mazury to Berlin.
Energy and Gas
Wielkopolska is also very well provided for when it comes to electric energy. The national grid in the region consists of 400, 220 and 110 kV lines and a well-developed system of transformer stations. The main energy provider for Wielkopolska is Zespół Elektrowni Pątnów I i II – Adamów – Konin S.A., which supplies the market with around 14% of all electric energy generated in the country. It is also the second largest producer of brown coal energy. Other important providers include Dalkia Poznań ZEC (formerly Zespół Elektrociepłowni Poznańskich S.A.) – heat and power plants Garbary in Poznań and Kalisz-Piwonice, as well as Energetyka Poznańska Zakład Elektrowni Wodnych Sp. z o.o., which has five hydroelectric power stations on the Gwda River. In accordance with European Union guidelines on the use of renewable energy sources, the authorities of Wielkopolska strive to increase the share of wind energy in the overall energy output in the region. They also put efforts into developing geothermal power. Current research shows that there are geothermal waters of 300 to 800ºC at a depth of 800 plus metres in areas of older geological formations.
The most important international transit and main pipelines of national significance run through the region. The Yamal gas pipeline currently connects Russia with Western Europe, and there are plans to build a second, parallel line. The Yamal pipeline would then supply gas to the northern and central part of the Wielkopolska region. However, at present its gas supply needs are covered by local sources of gas in the southern and central part of Wielkopolska, with the deposits making 28% of the country’s reserves. Furthermore, there are to date no exploited gas deposits in the area of Kościan and Wolsztyn. Geological research confirms that there may be rich deposits of gas and petroleum in the south-eastern part of Wielkopolska.