Pluton Resources Limited (ASX:PLV) Wins Golden Gecko Award For Environmental Excellence

Melbourne, Sep 2, 2010 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Pluton Resources Limited (ASX:PLV) ("Pluton"), the emerging iron ore producer behind the development of an innovative drilling platform for some of the toughest terrain in Australia, has been given this year's Golden Gecko Award for Environmental Excellence at an award ceremony in Perth.

The Australian made Universal Drilling Platform (UDP) was developed and patented by the Company to provide a safe, stable, low footprint option for diamond drilling programs on remote and rugged exploration prospects.

It is currently being used in Pluton's Irvine Island exploration program in The Kimberley. The UDP is a modular platform, which can be transported to an exploration site by helicopter and assembled by hand in less than a day. When fully assembled the platform has a ground disturbance of less than 5m2, much less than traditional exploration equipment. Hydraulically adjustable legs mean that it can be used on uneven and sloping terrain, without the need for excavation or earth moving machinery. The platform does not require the building of tracks or use of heavy vehicles, and once in place can be used as a helipad, further reducing ground disturbance.

Pluton's Managing Director, Tony Schoer, says the Company attributes the success of the project to its employees and contractors and the traditional owners of Irvine Island, the Mayala people.

"Minimising the land disturbance during exploration can make an important difference to the industry's footprint," he said. "A few months after drilling from the platforms, it is almost impossible to tell where we've been.

"We believe it's part of the new paradigm in mining. Increasingly, exploration and mining companies are finding new ways to operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner."

He said Mayala exploration teams have been trained to assemble the platforms and support exploration. They have been a key part of the Company's success.

As part of a broader environmental management strategy, Pluton has adapted accommodation technology used in the Antarctic to build green exploration sites in the tropical Kimberley. The Company is using polar "pods" to provide insulated shelter for the drill teams. The pods have little impact on the natural environment and they are easy to relocate from one site to another.

The Department of Mines and Petroleum in Western Australia instigated the Golden Gecko Awards in 1992 to recognise excellence and leadership, and to acknowledge the outstanding contribution recipients have made to balance environmental responsibility with the successful development of the state's mineral and petroleum resources.

Contact

Tony Schoer Managing Director Pluton Resources Limited Tel: +61-411-232-711 Email: tschoer@plutonresources.com http://www.plutonresources.com