Mining giant Rio Tinto plans to drill 10 new trenches in the Fort à la Corne Forest east of Prince Albert as advanced exploration for FalCon, a proposed diamond mine project, continues into 2020.

The company plans to move drilling operations north of the old site used in 2019, while also focusing on getting its Bulk Sampling Plant (BSP) up and running. Rio Tinto expects results from their first testing sites to arrive later this year, according to a company newsletter.

The number of on-site employees will remain the same.

Rio Tinto says the area is low-grade, but emphasizes that the term means the diamonds are spread out over a large area, and does not refer to quality.

The company acquired a 60 per cent share in the site from Saskatoon-based Star Diamond Corp. for $75 million last November.