US rig count up eight as prices rise

The rig count in the Permian Basin was unchanged this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 306 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 322 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is up eight from last week at 590 rigs. A year ago, 641 rigs were active. The count shows that 488 rigs sought oil, up five from the previous week, and 97 explored for natural gas, up three from the previous week. The count also shows five 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 $65.13 per barrel, up 98 cents from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $68.65 per barrel, up 98 cents from the previous week.