The U.S. natural gas rig count increased by one to make it an even 100 for the week ending Friday (May 31), while a one-rig decrease in the oil patch left the combined domestic tally unchanged at 600, according to updated numbers published by Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).
The 100 active domestic natural gas rigs as of Friday compares with 137 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data from Enverus.
Land drilling decreased by one rig overall in the United States for the period, with the Gulf of Mexico adding one rig week/week to raise its total to 21. Horizontal rigs decreased by one domestically to fall to 536, while total directional rigs increased by one to 44, BKR data show.
The Canadian rig count, meanwhile, increased by eight rigs overall to finish at 128, up from 97 in the year-earlier period. Changes there included a 10-rig increase in oil-directed drilling, partly offset by a net decrease of two natural gas-directed rigs.
Looking at changes by region, the Cana Woodford saw four rigs exit the patch week/week, dropping its total to 17, versus 21 a year ago. The Permian Basin dropped two rigs to finish with 310, down from 348 in the year-earlier period.
On the other side of the ledger, the Ardmore Woodford added three rigs to raise its tally to seven, flat year/year. The Eagle Ford and Marcellus shales each added one rig to their respective totals, BKR data show.
Counting by state, Louisiana and Pennsylvania added one rig a piece, while New Mexico and Oklahoma each dropped one rig overall.
Enverus, in its separate weekly rig count, tallied 95 working U.S. natural gas rigs for the week ending May 24, unchanged from the prior week. Total U.S. land rigs fell by two to 627, down from 759 a year ago, according to the firm.
Among plays, Enverus tallied a two-rig decline in the Marcellus for the period, with the Utica Shale adding two rigs.
The Bakken Shale dropped two rigs, with the Eagle Ford dropping one, according to Enverus. The Midland sub-basin of the Permian added one rig in the firm’s dataset.
