U.S. rotary rig count jumps by 16, Canada up by 4 rigs

Ray Tyson

The number of rotary drilling rigs operating in the United States and Canada during the week ending May 27 stood at a combined 1,602, up by 20 rigs compared to the previous week and up by 238 rigs compared to the same period last year, according to rig monitor Baker Hughes.

The Canadian rig count alone increased by four to 271 from the previous week and increased by 76 versus the year-ago period.

The number of rigs operating in the United States compared to the prior week jumped by 16 to 1,331 and increased by 162 compared to the same period last year. Compared to the previous week alone, land rigs increased by 11 to 1,213, while offshore rigs increased by four to 94 and inland water rigs increased by one to 24. Of the total number of rigs operating in the United States during the recent week, 1,183 were drilling for natural gas and 148 for oil. Of the total, 834 were vertical wells, 329 directional wells and 168 horizontal wells.

Among the leading U.S. producing states during the recent week, Texas registered the largest gain in drilling rigs compared to the previous week, increasing by eight to 599. Louisiana picked up four rigs for a total of 181 rigs, while Colorado picked up three rigs for a total of 67 rigs, Oklahoma picked up two rigs for a total of 151 rigs and Alaska picked up one rig for a total of nine rigs. California’s rig count fell by four to 23, while New Mexico’s slipped by two to 81 rigs. Wyoming was unchanged from the previous week with 71 rigs.