By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Oct. 8 -- US drilling activity continued to climb, increasing by 12 units to 1,671 rotary rigs working this week, up from 1,041 in the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
As usual, the bulk of the increase was in land operations with a hike of 10 rotary rigs to 1,634 drilling. Inland waters activity increased by 1 to 17 rigs working. Offshore drilling increased by 1 unit to 20 now active, all in the Gulf of Mexico.
Among the rigs now working, 971 are drilling for natural gas, an increase of 9 this week. There were 690 units drilling for oil, up 3. There were 10 rigs unclassified. Directional drilling declined by 7 rigs to 213. Horizontal drilling increased by 13 to 929.
Texas had the biggest increase among the major producing states, up by 9 units to 727 drilling. Louisiana and Oklahoma increased by 5 units each to 183 and 137, respectively. North Dakota had a gain of 2 to 137. Colorado and Arkansas added 1 rig each for respective totals of 67 and 39. West Virginia was unchanged at 23. Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Alaska were down 1 rig each to 97, 69, 44, and 7 respectively. California lost 2, with 33 rigs still working.
Canada’s weekly count jumped by 90 to 403 rotary rigs working, up from 239 in the same period last year.