Basin rig count down two as prices climb

The rig count in the Permian Basin was down two this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 352 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 301 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is up two from last week at 761 rigs. A year ago, 635 rigs were active. The count shows that 609 rigs sought oil, up ten from the previous week, and 150 explored for natural gas, down eight 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 $76.20 per barrel, up $6.33 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $79.72 per barrel, up $6.33 from the previous week.