2026 GRC Field Trip: The Woodlands Geothermal Service Provider Tour
This field trip will include facilities tours of two Houston area service companies, Baker Hughes, and Hephae Energy Technology. The first stop with be the Hephae Energy Technology's headquarters in Spring, Texas, where you'll see the company's Measurement-While-Drilling (MWD) system through various stages of manufacturing, assembly, and testing prior to deployment. You will learn how Hephae's ultra-high- temperature electronics are overcoming the limitations of conventional drilling tools to enable precise wellbore placement in extreme environments. To conclude, the tour will highlight successful field trials and commercial deployments with leading next-generation geothermal developers, including Fervo Energy, demonstrating how Hephae is enabling access to deeper, hotter geothermal resources. After the Hephae Energy Technology facility, the tour will take a short drive to The Baker Hughes Woodlands Technology Center, which will showcase the geothermal drill bit solutions helping to make geothermal projects economic and successful. In the tour you will see how these innovative drill bits are manufactured and the full-scale drilling laboratory utilized for testing. The field trip will conclude with transfer back to the Marriot Marquis after the Baker Hughes facility tour.
Agenda:
- 8:00 – 9:00: Field Trip attendees Check in at Marriott Marquis Houston
- 9:00 – 10:00: Drive to Hephae facilities
- 10:00 – 11:30: Hephae Presentation / Tour
- 11:30 – 12:00: Drive to Baker Hughes Drill Bit Facility
- 12:00 – 1:00: Lunch at Baker Hughes
- 1:00 – 3:00: Baker Hughes Presentation / Tour
- 3:00 – 4:00: Drive back to Marriott Marquis Houston
Registration:
- Self-service registration opening soon. Contact registration@geothermal.org for assistance.
Important details: Space is limited. Participants must provide ID prior to onsite tours to facilitate security approvals (driver’s license or passport). Transportation and lunch, courtesy of Baker Hughes, is included.