US drilling rig count unchanged at 2,007 units

Jan. 6, 2012
US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week was unchanged at 2,007 total rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Jan. 6 was up by 307 from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

US oil and gas drilling rig activity this week was unchanged at 2,007 total rigs working. The rig count for the week ended Jan. 6 was up by 307 from the comparable period a year ago, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Drilling operations on land, offshore, and in inland waters all were unchanged from a week ago, maintaining respective counts of 1,948, 42, and 17 rigs working.

Of the US rigs working, 1,191 were drilling for oil, down 2 rigs compared with a week ago. Rigs drilling for gas for the week ended Jan. 6 gained 2 rigs to reach 811. There were 5 rotary rigs unclassified, the same as the previous week.

At 216 rigs, directional drilling activity was up by 1 unit from the previous week. Horizontal drilling dropped by 7 rigs to a total of 1,160.

Texas had the biggest gains this week, up 10 units to 927. Arkansas reached 32 units working, up 2 from a week ago. And at 150 rigs, Louisiana added 1 rig. New Mexico, Colorado, and West Virgina were all unchanged with respective counts of 81, 77, and 28. Down 1 rig each were North Dakota, 181; Pennsylvania, 112; and Wyoming, 55. Three states were off by 3 units; these were Oklahoma, 192; California, 47; and Alaska, 5.

Canada’s rig count gained 140 units from a week ago, reaching 361. This is down by 61 units from the same period a year ago.