The aim of making socioeconomic analyses of projects is to improve the basis for a qualified societal prioritisation of resources. A sensible societal prioritisation of resources across sectors over various time frames etc. requires that the analyses are based on similar and transparent methods while certain issues and non-valued consequences are described in the best possible way. The result will always be a trade-off between economic and non-economic considerations related to social and ethical issues etc.
It is important to be aware of the limitations in socioeconomic analyses.
First of all, there is often uncertainty about the future development of crucial assumptions such as energy prices, salaries etc. The significance of these can be considered through sensitivity calculations.
Second of all, important societal values can be involved. These include security of supply, the environment and technological developments, which are not priced on a market or where market prices do not reflect the full societal values. There can also be distributional, social and ethical considerations, which are impossible to qualify in monetary terms.