US rig count up seven as prices soar

The rig count in the Permian Basin was up three this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 319 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 221 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is up seven from last week at 670 rigs. A year ago, 417 rigs were active. The count shows that 531 rigs sought oil, up seven from the previous week, and 137 explored for natural gas, 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 $110.38 per barrel, up $9.20 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $113.90 per barrel, up $9.20 from the previous week.