The U.S. natural gas rig count fell two units to 118 for the week ended Friday (Jan. 5), including a small decrease in activity in the Haynesville Shale, according to data from oilfield services provider Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).
Including a one-rig increase in the U.S. oil patch, the combined domestic rig count finished the week at 621, down one from the week-earlier period and off from 772 rigs running at this time a year ago.
Land drilling declined by one rig overall in the United States for the period. The Gulf of Mexico held steady at 18 rigs, up from 16 a year ago. Horizontal rigs were down one domestically, with directional rigs and vertical rigs unchanged week/week, according to the BKR numbers, which are partly based on data from Enverus.
Price bulls, galvanized by continued production drops, powered natural gas futures close to a fifth consecutive gain on Wednesday before they fizzled in afternoon trading amid profit-taking. The June Nymex gas futures contract ultimately settled at $2.187/MMBtu, down 2.0 cents day/day. At A Glance: Output slips close to 95 Bcf/d Weather to shift in bears’…