Projects
		Environment
		Energy
		People
		Equipment
		Economics

ECONOMICS : Viability

Once supplied with the details discussed in the previous section we can make a financial assessment of a project. However, many hurdles must be crossed before a project which looks viable at an early stage is completed.

The whole process is unlikely to take less than twelve months and two years is not unusual. The design stage can take up to a year and sometimes more depending on when the necessary environmental studies can be completed.

The statutory planning process may also take up to six months; in some countries much longer. Construction usually takes at least six months. Equipment delivery time is a factor. The cost of the design and planning process can amount to ten percent of that of the whole project. This money will be lost if the project does not go ahead. Caution is therefore essential, as we emphasise to all our clients.