Basin rig count up three as prices rise

The rig count in the Permian Basin was up three this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 353 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 319 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is up four from last week at 758 rigs. A year ago, 670 rigs were active. The count shows that 593 rigs sought oil, up four from the previous week, and 162 explored for natural gas, unchanged 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 $65.74 per barrel, up $2.52 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $69.26 per barrel, up $2.52 from the previous week.