Capital structure optimization for build–operate–transfer (BOT) projects using a stochastic and multi-objective approach

Abstract

Private financing has long been recognized as playing an important role in providing public infrastructure facilities worldwide. Private investors–operators, however, are often exposed to the financial risk of low profitability due to the inaccurate forecast of facility demand, operating income, and maintenance costs. From the operator’s perspective, a sound and thorough financial feasibility study is required to establish the appropriate capital structure of a project. To this end, operators are likely to reduce the equity amount to minimize the level of risk exposures, whereas creditors or lenders continue to raise it in an attempt to secure a decent level of financial responsibility from the operators. This paper presents an optimized capital structure model for both creditors and operators to reach an agreement for a balanced structure that synchronizes both profitability and repayment capacity. The model is developed with the use of Monte Carlo simulation and a multi-objective generic algorithm (GA) for drawing an optimal level of equity ratio. Results of a case study on a railway project show that the proposed model provides a proper range of capital structure for privately financed infrastructure projects while accounting for the project-specific risks under variable conditions.