Basin rig count down three as prices climb

The rig count in the Permian Basin was down three this week, the latest count Thursday by Baker Hughes shows, with 307 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 352 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is down three from last week at 620 rigs. A year ago, 779 rigs were active. The count shows that 498 rigs sought oil, down three from the previous week, and 120 explored for natural gas, up one from the previous week.

The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981. It bottomed out in August of 2020 at 244.

The regional benchmark Plains-West Texas Intermediate Posting ended Friday at $70.04 per barrel, up $2.13 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $73.56 per barrel, up $2.13 from the previous week.