By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Aug. 28 -- US drilling activity continued to climb, with 14 more rotary rigs returning to work for a total 999 this week, still well below the 2,031 units that were drilling in the same period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Most of the gain was on the land side, up 13 rigs to 960 in operation. Inland water activity was unchanged with 7 rigs working. Offshore activity increased by 1 rig to 30 in the Gulf of Mexico and a total of 32 in US waters overall.
Of the rigs now working, 699 are drilling for natural gas, 4 more than the previous week. Those drilling for oil increased by 6 to 286. There were 14 rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling increased by 1 rig to 429. Directional drilling is up 6 to 177.
North Dakota registered the largest increase among major producing states, up 5 to 48 rotary rigs working. Texas gained 4 to 376 units. New Mexico increased by 2 to 45. Arkansas and Alaska gained 1 rig each for respective counts of 45 and 9. Louisiana was unchanged with 135 rotary rigs drilling. Oklahoma, Colorado, and California lost 1 rig each to 79, 43, and 22, respectively. Wyoming’s rig count was down 2 to 31.
In other states of interest, Pennsylvania’s count increased by 1 to 53 rotary rigs. Utah was unchanged at 17, and West Virginia was down 1 to 20.
Canada’s rig count was up by 20 rigs to 184 drilling, compared with a rig count of 436 during the same period last year.
File photo from PDVSA..
Photo from Odfjell Drilling.
