A Data-Driven Framework for Agile Prioritization of Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Projects Using Stakeholder Value, Risk, and Delivery Capacity Metrics in Regulated Industrial Environments

Abstract

The transition toward low-carbon and resource-efficient industrial systems has increased investment in sustainable energy infrastructure while intensifying the challenge of selecting and sequencing projects under capital, regulatory, technical, and organizational constraints. Conventional project-prioritization methods often emphasize financial return or strategic alignment without adequately integrating stakeholder value, multidimensional risk, delivery capacity, regulatory readiness, and sustainability performance within a single adaptive decision framework. This study developed and applied a data-driven framework for the agile prioritization of sustainable energy infrastructure projects in regulated industrial environments. The framework evaluated candidate projects across five principal decision dimensions: stakeholder value, project risk, delivery capacity, regulatory readiness, and sustainability contribution. Heterogeneous project indicators were standardized, weighted, and aggregated using a multi-criteria decision analysis structure to generate integrated priority scores, while risk-adjustment and capacity-constraint mechanisms prevented strategically attractive but poorly executable projects from receiving disproportionate priority. An agile reprioritization component was incorporated to update project rankings as costs, risks, resource availability, regulatory conditions, and stakeholder requirements changed. The empirical evaluation applied descriptive statistics, normalization, weighting, composite scoring, sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis, ranking-stability assessment, and benchmark comparison with established prioritization approaches. The results showed that projects with the highest stakeholder or sustainability value did not necessarily achieve the highest overall priority when project risk, delivery capacity, and regulatory readiness were incorporated. Waste-heat recovery achieved the highest baseline Integrated Agile Priority Score, followed by solar photovoltaic generation and the energy-efficiency retrofit, while carbon capture and green hydrogen ranked lower because of comparatively higher risk, weaker delivery capacity, and lower regulatory readiness. Dynamic reprioritization further showed that project rankings changed materially when implementation conditions improved, confirming the responsiveness of the framework to evolving portfolio conditions. The principal contribution of the study is an integrated and transparent prioritization architecture that links strategic value with execution feasibility, sustainability performance, and regulatory constraints while retaining the flexibility required for dynamic portfolio management. The framework provides a structured basis for more defensible capital allocation, improved traceability of investment decisions, stronger alignment between sustainability objectives and organizational capability, and more effective portfolio governance in regulated energy-intensive industries.