M-U Rig Count Gains 1 Rig, Now @ 39 – Highest in Over a Year
The Marcellus/Utica rig count gained a rig last week in the Ohio Utica. The combined count hit 39 total rigs, the most it has operated in more than a year. That’s great news! It means drilling is picking up in the M-U. Pennsylvania has held at 18 active rigs for four consecutive weeks. Ohio picked up one and now operates 14 rigs. Before last week, Ohio had held the same number of rigs at 13 since September 26. West Virginia maintained its 7 rigs, which it has operated since May 30. There were 24 rigs targeting the Marcellus and 15 targeting the Utica, for a combined 39 rigs in the M-U. Read More “M-U Rig Count Gains 1 Rig, Now @ 39 – Highest in Over a Year”

Last week, the Baker Hughes U.S. national rig count got wacked good, losing 10 rigs from the previous week. The national count went from 554 to 544 (as of Wednesday, when BH reported the numbers). Bummer. It had gained rigs for each of the prior three weeks. Rigs in the Marcellus/Utica remained the same last week after gaining one rig the week before. Pennsylvania has held at 18 for two weeks in a row. Ohio was the same at 13 rigs, which it has operated since September 26. West Virginia maintained its 7 rigs, which it has operated since May 30. There were 24 rigs targeting the Marcellus and 14 targeting the Utica, for a combined 38 rigs in the M-U.
Baker Hughes (BH), either the second- or third-largest oilfield services company in the U.S., depending on the criteria used, issued its third-quarter update last Thursday. BH CEO Lorenzo Simonelli had some interesting comments. One of them was this: “This is the age of gas.” By 2040, Simonelli expects natural gas demand to grow by nearly 20% and global LNG demand to increase by 75%. Simonelli expects the focus for new infrastructure development to shift “from greenfield to brownfield developments.”