US drilling rig count off slightly

Dec. 29, 2011
US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week slipped slightly by 1 rig to 2,007 total rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Dec. 29 was up by 313 from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week slipped slightly by 1 rig to 2,007 total rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Dec. 29 was up by 313 from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Land drilling operations fell by 1 rig to 1,948 units drilling. Offshore and inland waters drilling both were unchanged this week, holding respective counts of 42 and 17 rigs working.

Of the US rigs working, 1,193 were drilling for oil, down 8 rigs compared with a week ago. Rigs drilling for gas for the week ended Dec. 29 gained 7 rigs to reach 809. There were 5 rotary rigs unclassified, the same as the previous week.

At 215 rigs, directional drilling activity was up by 2 units from the previous week. Horizontal drilling dropped by 5 rigs to 1,167 total.

Arkansas had the largest drop this week, down 4 units to 30 rigs working. Texas, at 917, was down by 3 rigs. Oklahoma and Alaska were both off by 1 unit, reaching counts of 195 and 8, respectively. Unchanged this week were Colorado, 77; Wyoming, 56; and California, 50. Four states gained 1 rig each, namely North Dakota, 182; Louisiana, 149; New Mexico, 81; and West Virginia, 28. Pennsylvania, with 113 rigs working, was the largest gainer, up 4 units from last week.

Canada’s rig count plunged 185 units from a week ago, reaching 221. This is down by 25 units from the same period a year ago.