Land rigs account for US drilling increase

US drilling continued to increase with a total 1,567 rotary rigs working this week, up 10 from the previous week and well above the 916 units working during the comparable period in 2009, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

July 9, 2010

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By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 9 -- US drilling continued to increase with a total 1,567 rotary rigs working this week, up 10 from the previous week and well above the 916 units working during the comparable period in 2009, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

Land operations registered the only gain with all 10 rigs for a total of 1,539 drilling. Inland waters activity was unchanged at 12, and offshore drilling was unchanged with 16 rigs working, all in the Gulf of Mexico.

Of the US rigs active this week, 964 were drilling for natural gas, an increase of 4 from the previous week. The number drilling for oil gained 5 to 592. There were 11 rotary rigs unclassified. Horizontal drilling increased by 14 units to 863. Directional drilling declined by 4 units to 226.

Pennsylvania registered the biggest gain among major producing states with an increase of 5 to 88 rotary rigs working. Colorado gained 4 to 58. North Dakota added 2 for a total of 121. Arkansas, West Virginia, and Alaska increased by 1 each to respective counts of 40, 24, and 9. New Mexico and California were unchanged at 68 and 35, respectively. Oklahoma and Wyoming lost 1 rig each to respective totals of 127 and 43. Texas and Louisiana were down 2 rigs each to 678 and 176.

Canada’s rotary rig count gained 25 to 348 compared with 178 in the same period last year.