After remaining flat the previous week, US drilling increased by 7 rotary rigs to 576 working this week, compared with 338 active units in the same period a year ago, said Baker Hughes.
Land operations were responsible for the increase, up by 6 rigs to 560 working. Offshore drilling increased by 1 rig to 14 active units, all in the Gulf of Mexico. Inland waters activity was unchanged at 2 units.
Of the rigs working, 471 were drilling for oil, an increase of 4 from the previous week. Units drilling for gas increased by 3 to 105. Directional drilling remained unchanged at 31 rigs. Horizontal drilling gained 8 to 521. Vertical drilling dropped a rig to 24.
New Mexico and Oklahoma led the increase among major producing states, up 2 rigs each to 90 and 46, respectively.
Five states added a single rig to this week’s counts: Texas, with 272 rigs working; Louisiana, 48; West Virginia, 12; Ohio, 11; and Utah, 10.
Pennsylvania and Alaska each dropped a single rig to reach 18 and 5 rigs working, respectively.
Four states were unchanged for the week, namely North Dakota, 27; Wyoming, 15; Colorado, 12; and California, 9.
Canada’s rig count dropped by 3 to 177, up from 111 during the same period last year.
