New Mexico added a rig for the second straight week, but declines of counts of oil and gas drilling rigs continued in Permian Basin, Texas and U.S. According to the July 17 report from Baker Hughes, New Mexico added 1 rig again to reach 50 (107 year ago). Permian Basin has 124 rigs (125 week ago, 440 year ago), Texas has 104 (107 week ago, 454 year ago) and U.S. has 253 (258 week ago, 954 year ago). U.S. count, down for the 19th consecutive week, has dropped 60 percent since March and 73 percent in the past year.
Eddy County, N.M., continues to lead Permian Basin with 29 rigs (down 1 in past week) followed by Lea, N.M., with 21 (up 2 in past week), Loving with 15 (unchanged), Midland with 14 (up 4 in past week) and Martin with 11 (down 3 in past week).
Among regions, Haynesville is runner-up with 32 rigs, Marcellus has 27, Eagle Ford has 11, and Williston has 10. Eagle Ford added 2 rigs last week; its count of 9 in Baker Hughes’ report of July 10 was the first time it had fewer than 10 rigs since the field was discovered in October 2008, according to Houston Chronicle. Rig counts in other leading states as of July 17 were Louisiana third with 30, Pennsylvania with 21, and North Dakota and Oklahoma with 10 each.