The U.S. natural gas rig count fell by one unit to 97 for the week ending Friday (Aug. 23), according to updated data from Enverus and Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).
That week/week decline in natural gas rigs accounted for the overall trend in domestic rigs, down by one at 585 with the oil count unchanged. The natural gas rig count compares with 115 running a year earlier, according to the latest numbers.
Land drilling accounted for the total one-rig decline as units in the Gulf of Mexico were unchanged on the week. One directional rig exited during the week to drop the segment count to 47, the data show. Horizontal rigs added three units to finish at 524, while vertical rigs shed three units to end at 14.
Canada’s rig count, meanwhile, added two units week/week to finish at 219, up from 190 in the year-ago period. The weekly gains were from two additional oil-directed rigs. Compared with a year earlier, oil rigs were up by 37 units, while gas rigs were down by eight units.
Counting by major drilling region, the Permian Basin added three rigs for the period, upping its total to 306, versus 320 a year ago. The Cana Woodford added two rigs, while the Haynesville Shale added one unit. The Mississippian Lime and Williston Basin each shed two rigs, while the Arkoma Woodford, Eagle Ford Shale and Granite Wash posted one-rig declines.
Looking at weekly changes by state, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas added one rig apiece. For the Texas oil and natural gas patch, its count of 274 rigs was down from 307 a year earlier.
Elsewhere, North Dakota shed two rigs, while New Mexico and Utah both shed one rig in the period.
