The U.S. natural gas rig count dropped two units to 117 for the week ended Friday (Feb. 2), including a slowdown in the Haynesville Shale, updated Baker Hughes Co. (BKR) data show.
Domestic oil-directed drilling, meanwhile, went unchanged overall for the period at 499 rigs, and the combined U.S. rig count finished two units lower at 619.
Land drilling was down two rigs week/week in the United States, with the Gulf of Mexico count unchanged at 17. Total directional rigs were unchanged domestically, while horizontal rigs and vertical rigs each declined by one, the BKR data show.
The combined 619 active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 759 rigs running in the year-ago period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data from Enverus.
Weekly natural gas cash prices gained ground on the back of strong gains in West Texas in a week that was marked by stronger LNG feed gas flows and modestly higher weather-driven demand. NGI’s Weekly Spot Gas National Avg. for the April 22-26 trading period climbed 9.5 cents to $1.230/MMBtu. Among the top weekly gainers,…