The US drilling rig count slid by 1 unit during the week ended Feb. 22, with the total number of rotary rigs reaching 1,761, Baker Hughes Inc. reported. That compared with 1,981 rigs working in the comparable week last year.
Offshore drilling decreased to 53 rigs, down 2 units from a week ago. Rigs drilling in inland waters increased 3 to 19. Land-based drilling, meanwhile, lost 2 units to 1,689. Of the rigs drilling offshore, 51 were in the Gulf of Mexico, a decline of 2 units from a week ago.
Rigs targeting natural gas gained 7 units to 428. Rigs drilling for oil slipped 8 to 1,329. There were 4 rigs unclassified, unchanged from a week ago.
Rigs drilling directionally were reported at 197, up 3 rigs from a week ago but 13 fewer than the comparable week last year. The number of rigs drilling horizontally climbed 1 to 1,140. This compared with 1,165 rigs working in the comparable week a year ago.
Of the major oil and gas producing states, Oklahoma was down 9 units to 185; North Dakota, down 4 to 173; and Wyoming, down 2 to 45. Louisiana and New Mexico, at 109 and 75, respectively, were down 1 rig each. California was unchanged this week at 34 rigs drilling. Five states gained 1 rig: Colorado, 57; Ohio, 28; West Virginia, 23; Arkansas, 16; and Alaska, 9. Texas jumped 5 units to 843, and Pennsylvania was up 6 to 72 rigs working.
Canada’s rig count rose again this week, up 11 units to 662. This count includes 504 rigs drilling for oil and 158 units drilling for gas. The total was down 39 units from the comparable week last year.