# 122

Dear Fatemeh Parvaneh and Ahmed Hammad

I read your paper:

Application of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) to Select the Most Sustainable Power-Generating Technology

My comments:

1- Very important and complete the data you furnish in the abstract related to the construction industry. It is in reality with a tremendous social content, and that also produces contamination in a large scale

2- In page 3 you say “The construction project life cycle includes various phases: feasibility phase, design and engineering phase, procurement phase, construction phase, closing phase, operation and maintenance phase”

This is true but incomplete, because the transportation industry that brings materials like lumber, Portland cement and contaminates with dangerous emissions, as it is not mentioned either the production of inputs like lumber, large construction equipment, iron, glass, water, sand, etc., produce large levels of pollution due to the processes in their fabrication.

3- In page 3 “Thus, there is a lack of a comprehensive set of sustainability criteria for industrial projects, particularly power-generating plants in Canada during the feasibility phase; and a clear need for a more structured approach to sustainable decision-making in PPS”

In my opinion, this is inexact. What you propose is not new, it has been applied for decades, forced by regional and international regulations.

For instance, I worked as an engineer in a hydro project in BC, Canada, back in 1989, where very rigid norms were established to protect workers life as well as the environment. The guy responsible for environment was even empowered to stop work if environment was violated.

The same a mining construction job in Nevada, USA, where it was mandatory for every body to take courses on safety. As a matter of fact, the Canadian project was halted by the Supreme Court if Canada for violating human rights. If you are interested Google for ‘Kemano Completion Project”.

4- In page 3 “The technical category is included because construction projects have to be technically feasible”

A project must be feasible considering all aspects, not only technical

5- Page 3 “The current practices focus only on cost–benefit analysis, which is not acceptable in the era of decarbonization and there is extreme pressure from the general public to reduce GHG emissions for the power-generating industry.”

I am afraid that you are not aware that including social and environment in projects, started in the 1950s Until that date, you are right, only cost-benefit was considered in evaluating projects.

6- Page 3 “The expected academic contribution of this research is the introduction of an integrated model to apply multi-dimensional rational decision-making techniques to solve complex problems”

You are using AHP in your project and this method is not rational, because it is a descriptive system, that obeys of what the DM wishes; using TOPSIS is rational, because it is a normative method looking for what should be, independently of what the DM thinks and wish.

7- Your literature review is indeed excellent. However, Tables 1 and 2 contradict what you say when there were many authors that considers aspects other than technical

8- In page 7 “The last phase entails developing a hypothetical case study and applying a hybrid DSS model (Fuzzy AHP—Fuzzy TOPSIS) to prioritize the projects based on the established evaluation criteria”

Have you realized that you are using fuzzy, an excellent mathematical method, to refine invented data that is completely without any mathematical support? What for? Where is the gain?

In addition, it appears that you are not aware that AHP demands criteria independency.

In your case clearly, they are not. Probably the experts did not know it

9- I don’t have any doubt about Table 2 that reflects 20 years experience and know-how of owners, but again, they do not have the obligation to know about MCDM. Most probably, had you asked them about relationships between criteria they could have given you a unanimous verdict.

As an example, in the economics primary criteria, all of the values of the five sub criteria come from the same source; the projected financial statements of a company. All of them are heavily related

Same for the primary criteria: Social and Economics are related, as well as Environment and Economics, and so on.

I hope these few comments may help you

If you are interested in a technical discussion, this is the contact

My WhastApp is + 1 613 770 7123

Ontario, Canada

Nolberto Munier