Overall drilling in U.S. shale basins has increased 33% from a year ago, led by 100-200% jumps in oil- and liquids-rich natural gas plays such as the Niobrara in Colorado and southern Wyoming (209%), the Eagle Ford in South Texas (105%) and the Bakken in North Dakota and Montana (110%), according to a shale basin rig count compiled by NGI’s Shale Daily.

U.S. shale oil, gas and tights sands rigs at work overall increased to 961 rigs for the week ending Jan. 14, compared to 725 one year ago.

The massive move into the oil/liquids plays reflects the response to the wide spread between the higher oil and bottom-dwelling natural gas prices over the past year. On the opposite side is the13% decline in Louisiana’s Haynesville drilling, the 25% drop in the Arkoma-Woodford in Oklahoma and the 11% decline in the Fayetteville in Arkansas.

The trends are illustrated in a new weekly feature in NGI’s Shale Daily. Natural Gas Intelligence (NGI) has aggregated the shale basin rig data based on its own formula, using the basic weekly U.S. rig counts produced by Smith Bits, a Schlumberger company.

During the same week ending Jan. 14, 2011 drilling in the Marcellus shale basin in the Appalachian area increased 32% compared to a year ago, while the Piceance in western Colorado and Uinta in eastern Utah tight sands plays also showed robust drilling increases of 43% and 24%, respectively. The Granite Wash in western Oklahoma and Texas registered an 88% drilling increase over the past year, also reflecting a high liquids content, while the Cana-Woodford, in central Oklahoma, had a drilling increase of 46%.

The granddaddy Barnett Shale in Texas lost 4% in rig activity, while the Green River tight sands basin in Wyoming stayed the same.

Active rigs in the Bakken went from 77 a year ago to 162 last week; the Eagle Ford from 60 to 123; the Granite Wash from 48 to 90 and the Marcellus from 114 to 150. While the Niobrara-DJ Basin showed the greatest percentage increase, its well total was smaller, moving from 11 a year ago to 34 on Jan. 14.

In the week ending Jan. 14 the 162 rigs active in the Bakken were the most in any shale play, ahead of the 160 in the Haynesville, 150 in the Marcellus and 123 in the Eagle Ford.

The overall shale rig count advanced from 942 for the week ending Jan. 7, 2011 to 961 for the week ending Jan. 14, a 19% increase (see table and chart in NGI’s Shale Daily at shaledaily.com).

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