US drilling push continues as Canada idles rigs

April 2, 2004
Exploration companies in the US put 10 more rigs to work this week—9 on land and 1 offshore—compared with last week. The 1,160 rigs drilling are up from 972 in the same period last year. The majority (1,000) are drilling gas wells. Meanwhile, Canada idled 126 rigs.

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Apr. 2 -- Exploration companies in the US put 10 more rigs to work this week—9 on land and 1 offshore—compared with last week. The 1,160 rigs drilling are up from 972 in the same period last year. The majority (1,000) are drilling gas wells.

Texas (with 502 rigs this week), Louisiana (170), and Oklahoma (158) led the land drilling push, up 13 rigs among them. The Gulf of Mexico has 89 rigs working, down from 97 last year.

Canada, however, idled 126 rigs this week while 194 rigs continued working vs. 221 this time last year. The North American total rigs working, therefore, dropped by 116 to 1,354.