The Lone Star College System’s Drilling Services Technology Center is anticipated to open in January 2021, a delay from the previous September 2020 timeline, said Linda Head, the senior associate vice chancellor of external and employer relations.
The $12.6 million center, funded by a $485 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2014, will be located on Humble Road in Tomball, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported. Plans for the center include a customized training rig, a modular training building and an equipment building, which will offer training in drilling, hydraulic manufacturing and other engineering technology located both on a rig and in the classroom, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported.
As of early February, the college system had secured a contract with an architect, and Head said she anticipated a request for proposals for the rig itself to be sent out within 30 days.
“It’s not just for drillers; it’s for maintenance technicians, rig electricians, engineers, petroleum engineers ... and for other people that might work in the industry just to see what a working rig looks like,” she said.
