The Northern Territory Opposition, after fuel leak at Nhulunbuy's Alcan refinery has said that the Government should ensure that there are proper procedures for cleaning the oil.

The Rio Tinto Alcan bauxite and alumina mine is located at Nhulunbuy.

The fuel leak was not identified, until a tank full with fuel was found to be empty. There was 70,000 liters of fuel in the tank.

The Department of Resources has started the investigation to find the reason of the spill. Alister Trier, the Executive Director of Minerals and Energy has stated that the oil has not gone out of the tank farm and has not contaminated any outer area. According to him, the fuel would have reached the water table, had it leaked through the gravel below.

The situation now is under control. Trier has said that the infrastructure failure has led to the oil leakage from the tank.

Peter Chandler, opposition leader has said that it is very important to know how the process of cleaning the oil is being managed, since these kinds of incidents lead to pollution in the environment.

"I think it is incumbent on Government to step in and make sure that they follow the correct processes, if at all they've got processes in place", he said.