US rig count gains 10 as oil prices soar

The rig count in the Permian Basin was up one this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 267 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 130 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is up ten from last week at 543 rigs. A year ago, 282 rigs were active. The count shows that 445 rigs sought oil, up 12 from the previous week, and 98 explored for natural gas, down 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 $78.76 per barrel, up $2.93 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $82.28 per barrel, up $2.93 from the previous week.