Baker Hughes: US drilling rig count spikes to 1,792

The US drilling rig count jumped 23 units to 1,792 rigs working during the week ended Mar. 7, Baker Hughes Inc. reported.

All 23 of those rigs were land-based, bringing that total to 1,719. Unchanged from a week ago were rigs drilling offshore at 55 and rigs drilling in inland waters at 18.

A 13-unit rise in oil rigs to 1,443 outdid a 10-unit increase in gas rigs to 345. Rigs considered unclassified were unchanged at 4.

Horizontal drilling rigs leaped 21 units to 1,202 while directional drilling rigs edged up 1 to 198.

Canada’s rig count, meanwhile, dropped 39 units to 587, but still remained 7 rigs higher than its tally from a year ago this week. A vast majority of those units lost were oil rigs, which relinquished 34 to a total of 389. Gas rigs declined 5 units to 198.

Major states, basins

Reflecting the upward movement in the country’s overall rig count, most of the major US states reported gains. Texas, with a 20-unit jump to 864, far outpaced runner-up California, which boasted a 5-unit increase to 41. North Dakota gained 2 units to 170. Oklahoma, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kansas, and Utah each gained 1 unit to reach respective totals of 182, 103, 53, 41, 31, and 27.

Unchanged from last week were Wyoming at 53 and Arkansas at 12.

New Mexico and Colorado each fell a unit to 81 and 61, respectively. West Virginia declined 2 units to 25. Alaska’s 3-unit decline to 14 negated its gain from a week ago.

Of the 20 units added in Texas, 13 were in the Permian, the largest increase of the major US basins. It now has a total of 506. The Mississippian and Haynesville each increased 2 units to 73 and 44, respectively.