Texas, U.S. adds two rigs
Drilling activity rose in the U.S. again this week, according to the latest edition of Baker Hughes Weekly Rig Count.
Shifts in activity were minor across the board this week, as most rigs simply continued drilling. One land-based and one inland waters rig began drilling this week, while offshore rigs held flat. There are now 1,030 land, five inland waters and 19 offshore rigs, for a grand total of 1,054 rigs currently drilling in the U.S.
Both new rigs are targeting gas this week, oil and miscellaneous rigs held flat. Oil now accounts for 81.9% of all drilling, as 863 rigs are currently targeting oil. There are also 189 gas rigs, and two miscellaneous.
Activity changes were small among trajectories, as directional and vertical operations added one rig each, while horizontal drilling held flat. There are currently 68 directional, 930 horizontal and 56 vertical rigs in the country.
Texas saw the largest growth in drilling activity this week, adding two rigs. One rig also began drilling in Colorado and Louisiana, while one shut down in Alaska and California. Shifts among different basins were even more minor. One rig began drilling in the Cana Woodford, Permian, and in the minor basins too small to be tracked individually by Baker. One rig shut down in the Granite Wash.
15 more rigs in Canada
Activity saw significantly more change in Canada, where 15 rigs began drilling last week. The country now has 197 active rigs, six more than at this point last year. All new rigs are land-based, so there are 194 land and three offshore rigs operational in the country. As usual, the increase in activity was concentrated in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where ten and five rigs began drilling, respectively.
Most new Canadian rigs are drilling for oil, as 13 oil-targeting rigs started operations this week while only two gas rigs became active. Canadian drillers favor gas more than drillers in the U.S., as gas accounts for 29.4% of Canadian drilling, compared to 17.9% of U.S. operations.
