Including an uptick in Haynesville Shale activity, the U.S. natural gas rig count climbed one unit to 118 for the week ended Friday (Oct. 20), according to the latest figures from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).
Total oil-directed rigs also increased by one for the period, and the combined U.S. rig count rose two units to 624, down from 771 in the year-ago period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data from Enverus.
Domestic trends week/week included gains of two offshore rigs and one land rig, partly offset by the departure of one rig operating in inland waters. Horizontal rigs increased by three, while directional rigs declined by one. Total vertical rigs held steady for the period at 17, the BKR data show.
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,…