The U.S. natural gas rig count climbed one unit to reach 155 for the period ended Dec. 22, while Canada’s drilling total saw a steep drop that mirrored year-earlier declines, the latest numbers from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR) show.
Along with the one natural gas-directed unit, two oil-directed rigs were also added in the United States for the period. Land drilling accounted for all of the week’s gains, as the Gulf of Mexico tally held steady at 15. Three horizontal rigs were added alongside one vertical unit. Partially offsetting was a one-rig decline in directional rigs.
The 779 active U.S. rigs as of Thursday compares with 586 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR numbers, which are partly based on data from Enverus.
Canada, meanwhile, posted a steep...