A Cornwall man has been awarded a prestigious international geology award.

Roy Baria, from Truro, was given the coveted Special Achievement Award at the annual Geothermal Resources Council meeting in Reno, Nevada, USA at the end of 2018. His work includes a number of long-held positions in Penryn.

He was given the award in recognition of his outstanding work innovating deep geothermal systems worldwide. A current responsibility of Roy’s involves developing a deep geothermal system at the Eden project.

“It has been great to see Roy win this award,” said Dr Andrew Jupe, Director of Altcom Limited in Penzance. “He has left a great skills legacy around the world.

“Our company is one of the numerous small hi-tech businesses in region that emerged from the development of geothermal research and technology in Cornwall,” Dr Andrew added.

Roy joined Penryn’s Camborne School of Mines in 1980 from the British Geological Survey, working as head of geophysics and eventually Deputy Project Director.

During this time, Roy was a director of the Hot Rocks project in Penryn. In 1990, he became Chief Scientist at the first major European project in Soultz, France, representing the United Kingdom alongside Germany and France.

His research at Soultz contributed to the first commercial geothermal developments in the world, and Roy’s role in this proved to be the catalyst for the return of geothermal to Cornwall. He is now the Technical Director of EGS Energy, who are developing the Eden Project.

“I am delighted that deep Geothermal has now returned to Cornwall as a viable energy technology,” Roy said. “It’s gratifying to see ground-breaking projects underway at United Downs and in development at the Eden Project.”