Answer:
The question is: "What is the maximum initial cost the company would be willing to pay for the project?"
The maximum initial investment cost the company would be willing to pay for the project is $18,817,204.
Explanation:
We have D/E = 0.8 => D/ (D+E) = 4/9; E/(D+E) = 5/9.
WACC of the firm = 4/9 x 4.3% + 5/9 x 11.5% = 8.3%.
Adjustment for cost capital due to higher risk of the project: 8.3% + 3% = 11.3%.
=> Maximum initial investment cost is equal to the net present value of the cash saving the project brings about discounting at project's cost of capital, calculated as:
1,750,000/ (11.3% - 2%) = $18,817,204.
Thus, the Maximum initial investment cost is $18,817,204.