By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Dec. 3 -- US drilling activity increased by 26 rotary rigs to 1,713 working this week, marking the first time since 2008 that the US weekly rig count has exceeded 1,700 units.
The latest count compares with 1,141 rotary rigs drilling in the same period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.
Land operations accounted for most of the gain with an increase of 26 units to 1,673 working. Inland waters activity, however, decreased by 3 to 17 active rigs. That was offset by the increase of 3 rigs drilling offshore to a total of 23, all in the Gulf of Mexico.
Of the US rigs working, 961 were drilling for natural gas, an increase of 8 from the previous week. The number drilling for oil gained 18 to 742. There were 10 rotary rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling increased by 18 units to 966. Directional drilling gained 2 to 218.
Among the major producing states, Oklahoma’s rotary rig count jumped by 9 to 151. Wyoming was up 6 to 47 units drilling. Texas gained 4 to 749, and Alaska increased by 3 to 9 rigs drilling. Louisiana and North Dakota added 2 rigs each for respective totals of 176 and 143. Pennsylvania, Colorado, Arkansas, and West Virginia were unchanged at 103, 67, 36, and 24, respectively. California’s rig count declined by 1 to 34. New Mexico was down 2 to 65.
Canada’s rotary rig count gained 34 rigs with 449 drilling this week, up from 364 in the comparable period last year.
Dreamstime | © Charles Montgomery.
Photo from SABIC Limburg BV.
