US rig count up nine as prices fly

The rig count in the Permian Basin was up two this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 322 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 343 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is up nine from last week at 641 rigs. A year ago, 763 rigs were active. The count shows that 515 rigs sought oil, up two from the previous week, and 121 explored for natural gas, up eight 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 $87.25 per barrel, up $3.26 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $90.77 per barrel, up $3.26 from the previous week.