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The profitability of power plant investments depends strongly on uncertain fuel and carbon prices. In this doctoral thesis, we combine fundamental electricity market models with stochastic dynamic programming to evaluate power plant investments under uncertainty. The application of interpolation-based stochastic dynamic programming and approximate dynamic programming allows us to consider a greater variety of stochastic fuel and carbon price scenarios compared to other approaches.

Real Options --- Dynamic Programming --- Fundamental Electricity Market Models --- Power Plant Investment Planning --- Approximate Dynamic Programming

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Policy makers are often confronted with a myriad of factors in the investment decision-making process. This issue is particularly acute in infrastructure investment decisions, as these often involve significant financial resources and lock-in technologies. In regions and countries where the infrastructure access gap is large and pubic budgets severely constrained, the importance of considering the different facets of the decision-making process becomes even more relevant. This paper discusses the trade-offs policy makers confront when attempting to prioritize infrastructure investments, in particular with regard to economic growth and welfare, and proposes a methodological framework for prioritizing infrastructure projects and portfolios that holistically equates such trade-offs, among others. The analysis suggests that it is not desirable to have a single methodology, providing a single ranking of infrastructure investments, because of the complexities of infrastructure investments. Rather, a multidisciplinary approach should be taken. Decision makers will also need to account for factors that are often not easily measured. While having techniques that enable logical frameworks in the decision-making process of establishing priorities is highly desirable, they are no substitute for consensus building and political negotiations.

Banks and banking reform --- Economic theory & research --- Finance and financial sector development --- Infrastructure economics and finance --- Infrastructure priorities --- Investment planning --- Macroeconomics and economic growth infrastructure economics --- Non bank financial institutions --- Policy & planning --- Public investment management --- Transport --- Transport economics