§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the European production of methyl tertiary butyl ether; and how the cost of the additive compares with tetranethyl lead to maintain the same octane rating in unleaded petrol.
§ Mr. GrayThe European manufacturing capacity for methyl tertiary butyl ether is around 500,000 tonnes per year, but shortage of feedstock constrains production to around 300,000 tonnes. For the United Kingdom, in order to raise the octane number of unleaded petrol by three numbers, it would require some 2 million tonnes of MTBE.
I refer my hon. Friend to my reply dated 24 February 1982—[Vol. 18, c. 431–32.]—for details of costs.