US drilling activity increased this week, up by 7 units to 705 rotary rigs working, compared with 448 during the same period a year ago, Baker Hughes reported Friday.
The increase was led by a 4-unit gain in land drilling to 688. Offshore drilling increased by 3 in the Gulf of Mexico to 16 rotary rigs with 17 in US waters as a whole.
Among US rigs, the number drilling for oil increased by 5 to 557 this week. The number drilling for natural gas increased by 2 to 146. There were 2 rigs unclassified. Directional drilling increased by 4 units to 34. Horizontal drilling increased by 3 to 646.
Louisiana registered the biggest increase among major producing states this week, up by 4 units to 62 working. Oklahoma and Pennsylvania gained 2 rigs each, with respective counts of 53 and 25. Texas and Alaska dopped one rig each to hit 344 and 8 rigs working for the week.
In Canada, drilling activity decreased with 4 fewer rotary rigs to 91 working the week ended May 6, but still up from the 55 rigs working the same period in 2021. A total of 42 rigs were drilling for oil in Canada this week, a decrease of 3 from the week prior, but a 20-rig increase from the year-ago period. A one-rig decrease left 49 rigs drilling for gas in Canada, up 16 from the same period a year ago.