[🌎 Universal GB] General Discussion

[dave___]

That’s petty if true, watching Epic Universe get built during the COVID pandemic when there wasn’t much else to do was one of salient parts of the Epic Universe construction process for me. I’ve never been to Florida and when it was first announced I wasn’t very interested because it felt so distant but because I watched the whole park got built, it piqued my interest when it finally opened.

When I eventually visit Florida, you can guarantee that Epic Universe will be top priority out of everywhere due to the commitment I’ve had with the construction updates (although I don’t plan on going back to the states as a whole anytime soon). It has also made me way more excited for the arrival of USGB too, so there’s that as well.

I believe TowersTimes used to have an aircraft operator similar to BioReconstruct when there was a new Secret Weapon under construction, that guy is certainly aware of Universal and if he’s still active in the theme park community then it will have at the very least come across his mind to fly over to Bedford. So it won’t stop birdseye views of the Universal construction coming out, in the age of the Internet, if there’s a will, there’s a way. Social media have mean mainstream for at least 15 years now, I don’t understand why a company that has literally built itself on providing the infrastructure for that very thing doesn’t get it.

John "I don't like drones spying on my Nemesis creation" Burton hasn't moved to Universal recently has he?

I see both sides of it but it's very early in the day for Universal to be stamping their feet. If anything it will just make more people go fly them to get "the exclusive" shots if others are too afraid to fly. Maybe they're afraid of the annoying little hobby drones dropping out of the sky and people knocking on the portakabin asking for it back.

 

[Blackrock]

Without being too political is there a chance this Middle East Crisis and the impending potential oil crisis is going to hit the construction of this park extremely hard.

With Oil refineries being hit and it showing no signs of slowing down oil prices are rising, a few more weeks of this and we’re going to have major issues with fuel in this country and worldwide.

A park like this obviously needs a lot of machinery, most of which runs on diesel which is the first to face problems, if there’s potential rationing (which there very well could be if this carries on as it is) surely that’d slow down construction.

 

[Dave]

Without being too political is there a chance this Middle East Crisis and the impending potential oil crisis is going to hit the construction of this park extremely hard.

With Oil refineries being hit and it showing no signs of slowing down oil prices are rising, a few more weeks of this and we’re going to have major issues with fuel in this country and worldwide.

A park like this obviously needs a lot of machinery, most of which runs on diesel which is the first to face problems, if there’s potential rationing (which there very well could be if this carries on as it is) surely that’d slow down construction.

It’s not so much the access to fuel, it’s the impact on inflation and the economy that may cause the conflict to delay this project.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Without being too political is there a chance this Middle East Crisis and the impending potential oil crisis is going to hit the construction of this park extremely hard.

With Oil refineries being hit and it showing no signs of slowing down oil prices are rising, a few more weeks of this and we’re going to have major issues with fuel in this country and worldwide.

A park like this obviously needs a lot of machinery, most of which runs on diesel which is the first to face problems, if there’s potential rationing (which there very well could be if this carries on as it is) surely that’d slow down construction.

The Middle Eastern conflict and the subsequent spike in global oil prices is a terrifying prospect for the global economy, but I think your concern regarding physical diesel rationing for construction machinery in Bedfordshire is perhaps a little misplaced.

In a capitalist system, physical rationing is rarely how a resource shortage manifests for multi billion dollar corporations. It manifests as price inflation. If the cost of diesel quadruples, the contractors pass the inflated fuel costs up the chain to Comcast. And for a project with a CapEx valued in the billions, the fuel bill for the earthmovers is a literal rounding error. Comcast will just pay the premium. The diggers will keep digging.

Your underlying anxiety is entirely justified, however, even if the mechanism is slightly off. The threat to Universal UK is the macroeconomic fallout of an energy crisis.

If oil spikes to $150+ a barrel, global inflation returns with a vengeance. Central banks will be forced to hike interest rates to combat it, which makes borrowing exponentially more expensive. Supply chains for steel, concrete and highly specialised ride hardware will fracture and skyrocket in price.

More importantly, an energy crisis obliterates discretionary spending. If the average UK or European family is suddenly paying triple to heat their home and fill their car, they're not saving up for a premium short break to a theme park in 2031.

If Comcast pauses this project it'll be because the global financial plumbing has frozen in panic, the cost of capital has become too toxic and their projected consumer market has evaporated, but not because they can't get enough diesel.