Land-based rig activity continues to rise in US

Land drilling in the US increased again this week, while offshore activity continued to slide due to the federal moratorium against drilling in water deeper than 500 ft, said Baker Hughes Inc.

June 18, 2010

2 min read

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, June 18 -- Land drilling in the US increased again this week, while offshore activity continued to slide due to the federal moratorium against drilling in water deeper than 500 ft, said Baker Hughes Inc.

There were 1,539 rotary rigs working in the US and its waters this week, 12 more than the previous week and up from 899 during the comparable week in 2009.

US offshore drilling fell to 17 rotary rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, down 4 from the previous week. In US waters as a whole, only 17 offshore units were still working this week. Drilling in inland waters increased by 1 to 13 units. Land-based drilling increased by 15 to 1,509 active rigs.

Of the US rigs still working, 953 were drilling for natural gas, 1 less than the previous week. The number drilling for oil increased by 13 to 574. There were 12 rotary rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling jumped by 8 units to 827, while directional drilling gained 3 to 233.

Among the major producing states, Texas had the largest jump, up 12 to 674 rigs working. Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Wyoming were up 4 rigs each to 84, 55, and 39, respectively. California was up by 3 units to 36 working. West Virginia increased by 2 rigs to 26. North Dakota and New Mexico were up 1 rig each to 114 and 65 rigs drilling, respectively. Arkansas and Alaska declined by 1 rig each to a respective 39 and 8. Oklahoma lost 5 rigs to 123 units. Louisiana was down 6 units to 181 rigs working.

Canada’s rotary rig count increased by 23 to 236 in the same week, compared with 143 in the same period last year.