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United States drillers cut oil and gas rigs for fourth time in 5 weeks - Baker Hughes

U.S. energy firms this week cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating for the 4th time in 5 weeks, energy services firm Baker Hughes stated in its carefully followed report on Friday.

The oil and gas rig count, an early indication of future output, fell by 4 to 600 in the week to May 24, the lowest given that January 2022. << RIG-USA-BHI >< RIG-OL-USA-BHI >.< RIG-GS-USA-BHI>> the overall rig count down 111, or. 16%, below this time in 2015. Baker Hughes said oil well were the same

at 497 today,. while gas rigs fell by 4 to 99, their lowest because October. 2021. That cut the rig count in a number of states and one

basin. to their least expensive levels in years. In Texas, the state with nearly half of the nation's.

running rigs, the count fell by 3 to 287, the most affordable since. February 2022, while in West Virginia, drillers cut two rigs,. leaving just six active systems, the most affordable since August 2020. In the Marcellus in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and.

Ohio, the country's biggest shale gas-producing basin, the rig. count fell by 3 to 26, the lowest because October 2021 . The oil and gas rig count dropped about 20 %in 2023.

after rising by 33 %in 2022 and 67% in 2021, due to a decline in. oil and gas costs, higher labor and devices costs from. skyrocketing inflation and as business concentrated on paying down debt. and improving investor returns instead of raising output. U.S. oil futures were up about 9% up until now

in 2024. after dropping 11% in 2023. U.S. gas futures have inched. up about 2 %so far in 2024 after plunging by 44% in 2023. That boost in oil rates

ought to encourage drillers to. boost U.S. unrefined output from a record 12.9 million barrels per. day( bpd) in 2023 to 13.2 million bpd in 2024 and 13.7 million. bpd in 2025, according to the latest U.S. Energy Info. Administration( EIA) outlook. But a drop in gas rates to

3-1/2 -year lows earlier. this year led a number of manufacturers to slash costs and lower. drilling activities, which need to trigger U.S. gas output to drop. to 103.0 billion cubic feet each day (bcfd) in 2024 from a record. 103.8 bcfd in 2023, according to the EIA. That reduction in gas drilling activity is visible in the. decrease in rig counts in West Virginia and the Marcellus shale.

(source: Reuters)