US crude oil and natural gas drilling rig activity gained 27 units this week, reaching a total of 1,985 working rigs. This week’s count is up by 324 units from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Land rigs made all of the gain, up 27 rigs to 1,934 working. The total of offshore and inland water rigs, meanwhile, remained unchanged this week at 32 and 19 units, respectively.
Of the US rigs working, 1,062 were drilling for oil, up 5 rigs compared with the previous week. Rigs drilling for natural gas for the week ended Sept. 16 increased by 20 rigs from the previous week to 912.
There were 11 rotary rigs unclassified, which was up 2 rigs from last week.
Directional drilling activity increased by 6 units to 241. Horizontal drilling gained 3 rigs to 1,137 units.
Among the top-producing US states, Texas had the biggest rig count increase, up 11 units to 895 working. Louisiana had 156 rigs working, a rise of 6 units. California was up 5 units to 53 rigs working. West Virginia reached 25, up 4 from last week. North Dakota gained 2 rigs to 184 units. Wyoming and Arkansas each gained 1 unit to reach respective counts of 51 and 33. Pennsylvania and Alaska were both unchanged at 113 and 8, respectively. New Mexico fell by 1 unit to 84; Colorado was down 2 units to 75, and Oklahoma had the largest loss among the states, down 4 units to 199.
Canada’s count fell by 13 units to 502 rigs working, which was up 169 units from the same period last year.