Basin rig count up three as prices fall

The rig count in the Permian Basin was up three this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 357 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 293 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is unchanged from last week at 771 rigs. A year ago, 610 rigs were active. The count shows that 609 rigs sought oil, down four from the previous week, and 160 explored for natural gas, up four from the previous week.

The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981. It bottomed out in August of 2020 at 244.

The regional benchmark Plains-West Texas Intermediate Posting ended Friday at $76.16 per barrel, down $1.63 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $79.68 per barrel, down $1.63 from the previous week.