US drilling activity sets 21-year high

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 16 -- US drilling activity hit a new 21-year high, up 39 rotary rigs with 1,791 now working, Baker Hughes Inc. said July 13.

That surpasses the previous record of 1,775 set 2 weeks ago and is up from 1,668 units drilling during this same period a year ago.

All of the gain was on the land side, with a jump of 42 rigs to 1,693 active. Inland waters activity was unchanged at 22 rigs drilling. Offshore operations dropped 3 rotary rigs to 75 in the Gulf of Mexico and 76 in federal waters as a whole.

Texas' rig count jumped by 12 to 837 this week despite recent rains that caused flooding in some parts of the state. Colorado increased by 4 to 112, and California was up 3 to 38. Louisiana added 1 for a total of 182 rotary rigs working.

Oklahoma, which also had heavy rains, was down 5 rigs to 186 drilling. New Mexico and Wyoming dropped 2 rigs each to respective counts of 85 and 69. Alaska was down 1 to 8.

Canada's weekly rig count shot up by 74 to 360 units working. That's down from 571 during the same period last year, however.