A new type of land rig is being proposed to tackle mega-pads in the very deepest sections of the Wolfcamp. In this post, check out the latest on operator interest as well as the features that make this rig unique and cost about 30% more than the current shale-ready rig …
Read More »US Land Drilling Contractors Unanimously Defy The Rig Count Trend
Three of the largest US land drillers (together controlling 35% of the market) openly resisted the downward trending rig count last week. The US land rig count fell in 9 of the last 12 weeks and is off 5% from peak. The prevailing view has been that this decline would …
Read More »Sharpest & Shortest Drilling Recovery In Modern US Land Rig History?
The falling rig count is playing heavily into early 3Q17 conference call discussions, particularly after last week’s big drop. We’ve long thought this correction was expected, but reaction to the decline reminds us that nothing is ever truly “priced in” until it happens. Here’s some context on where we’ve been, …
Read More »Marcellus Shale Drilling Permits Hit A Two-Year High
Starting this week, we begin an analytical tour around basins outside the Permian. The focus feature in each of our regular weekly rig count updates over the next couple weeks will provide an overview on D&C activity trends in key basins beyond West Texas. Here are five Marcellus Shale charts …
Read More »US Onshore Rig Count Keeps Sliding… Except In The Permian
The US land rig count peaked most recently on August 4, 2017. Since then, it is down 21 rigs and down again slightly this week. Without the Permian Basin, it’d be down even more. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this …
Read More »South Texas Drilling Permits Bounce Back Quickly Following A Brief Harvey Hiatus
In this update we examine drilling permit data for South Texas to infer how the storm and subsequent flooding has impacted drilling rig demand in the region. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you …
Read More »US Land Drillers Aren’t Sweating The Rig Count Dip
During the third quarter, the US onshore rig count trajectory has finally leveled off. We wrote about the stall a couple weeks ago in this update. Speaking at an investor conference last week, two leading land drillers shrugged off the industry-wide rig count stall. See what they said in the …
Read More »Harvey Impedes Baker Hughes Rig Count While South Texas Drilling Permits Fall
In an unusual step, Baker Hughes declared Friday that an update on South Texas rig count was impossible to capture last week due to Hurricane Harvey. New drilling permits show the impact though… and we quantify that in this update. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see …
Read More »US Rig Count Recovery Stalls In August After 14 Solid Months Of Gains
As expected, the Lower 48 rig count recovery is losing steam during 3Q17. Here’s 3 charts and thoughts on what it means for completions… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a …
Read More »Most US Land Drillers Agree That Rig Count Will Be Flat Or A Smidge Higher Near-Term
In our latest US onshore rig count forecast (updated in April), we estimated that active drilling rigs would peak at 950 units this year. As we stand today with 934 rigs turning to the right, our prediction leaves only ~16 rig additions left until hitting a US drilling plateau in …
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