Figures from Enverus Rig Analytics show the active U.S. rig count fell to 674 in the past week but at the same time also indicated that Oklahoma City-based Continental Resources is one of the most active operators in the nation.
Enverus explained its count of active rigs declined by one but the count is still up by 4% over the last month and 68% higher in the past year.
The largest week-over-week increase occurred in the DJ Basin, which gained four rigs for a total of 17, followed by the Anadarko with a two-rig increase for a total of 59. Other basins were flat or changed by only one rig.
In the DJ, Civitas Resources doubled its rig count from two to four over the last week. Murfin Drilling Co. also brought online two rigs, although it had no active rigs in the region on Dec. 1. Two operators that were inactive last week added single rigs, and two other companies dropped their sole rigs in the basin. In the Anadarko, 10 companies each added a single rig over the week, and nine of those companies had been inactive Dec. 1. Eight companies dropped one rig each, including six companies that had only one rig active to begin with.
The most active operators in the U.S. as of Dec. 8 were Pioneer Natural Resources with 26 rigs; EOG Resources with 25; Continental Resources with 22; Devon Energy, Mewbourne Oil Co. and Occidental Petroleum with 17 each; and ConocoPhillips with 16. EOG added three rigs week over week, Conoco added one, and the rest of the top operators were unchanged.
