Basin rig count up one as prices rebound

The rig count in the Permian Basin was up one this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 304 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 327 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is down two from last week at 588 rigs. A year ago, 654 rigs were active. The count shows that 485 rigs sought oil, up three from the previous week, and 97 explored for natural gas, down one from the previous week. The count also shows six miscellaneous rigs, unchanged 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 $73.32 per barrel, up $3.32 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $76.84 per barrel, up $3.32 from the previous week.