U.S. Natural Gas Rig Count Down One as Domestic Drilling Activity Steady

The U.S. natural gas rig count dropped one unit to finish at 71 for the week ended Friday (Sept. 11) amid generally modest changes to domestic drilling activity during the period, the latest figures from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR) show.

One oil-directed rig and one natural gas-directed rig exited the patch in the United States during the week, lowering the combined U.S. rig count to 254, 632 units behind the 886 rigs active at this time last year. 

Land drilling declined by two units, while the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) held steady at 15 rigs. The number of horizontal rigs fell sharply during the week, with six units packing up shop. That was partially offset by the addition of three vertical units and one directional rig, according to BKR.

The Canadian rig count finished...