Rig count steady as prices rebound

The rig count in the Permian Basin was unchanged this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 304 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 313 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is unchanged from last week at 585 rigs. A year ago, 625 rigs were active. The count shows that 480 rigs sought oil, down two from the previous week, and 101 explored for natural gas, up two from the previous week. The count also shows four 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 $68.26 per barrel, up $2.56 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $71.78 per barrel, up $2.56 from the previous week.