Rio Tinto Diamonds plans to set up a sample processing plant in Madhya Pradesh, India. The diamond processing plant has the capacity to check 10 tons of deposits per hour.

The plant is a part of the $464 million Bunder diamond project. Initial results from the diamond plant are expected by the end of 2009.

Rio Tinto Diamonds’ next stage, which is slated to be completed within 2-3 years, will include conducting engineering studies along with social and environmental impact studies.

Once operational, the diamond mine is likely to produce 2 million to 3 million carats per year.