The US drilling rig count fell 5 units during the week ended Sept. 21, with the total number of rotary rigs in the US reaching 1,859, reported Baker Hughes Inc. This compares with 1,991 rigs working in the comparable week last year.
Land rigs fell 7 units to 1,787. Rigs drilling in inland waters remained at 19 units, unchanged from a week ago. There were 53 rigs drilling offshore, 2 more than a week ago. Of these rigs, 50 were drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the same as last week.
Of the recent week’s total, rigs drilling for oil reached 1,402, a decline of 11 units from a week ago. Rigs targeting gas reached 454 units, an increase of 6 units from last week. Three active rotaries were unclassified, unchanged from a week ago.
Rigs drilling directionally were reported at 202, down 5 units from a week ago and 40 fewer than the comparable week last year. The number of rigs drilling horizontally increased by 16 units to 1,149 compared with 1,133 in the comparable week a year ago.
California was down 5 rigs, reaching 37. Louisiana, down 3 units, and Colorado, down 2 units, reached respective rig counts of 113 and 60. Three states were down 1 rig from a week ago: Texas, 887; Oklahoma, 200; and Arkansas, 16. Three states were unchanged this week: North Dakota, 181; New Mexico, 87; and Wyoming, 49. West Virginia, at 28; Ohio, at 19; and Alaska, at 7 were all up 1 rig each. Pennsylvania gained 4 rigs to reach 65 units working this week.
Canada’s rig count was 363, which includes 270 rigs drilling for oil and 93 units drilling for gas. The total was up 9 units from the previous week but down 142 units from last year’s comparable week.
Contact Steven Poruban at [email protected].