Active Rigs

Active rigs in North Dakota (by producer)
Official Activity

Updates/Commentary: 

• May 15, 2013: 194 (from 191 to 193 first thing in the a.m.; 194 by noon )
• May 14, 2013: 191 (from 187 to 191)
• May 3, 2013: 192 (new post-boom record)
• May 2, 2013: 191 (ties post-boom record)
• March 11, 2013: 189 -- generally hovering around 185
• January 27, 2013: 191 -- since hitting 179, the number of active rigs has gradually climbed
• January 4, 2013: new intra-boom low -- 179
• Update, breakdown, some commentary, September 30, 2012
• September 20, 2012: 184 (ended the day at 185) (post-boom low at 184)
• August 29, 2012: 190
• August 25, 2012?: 189
• August 22, 2012, 12 noon: 191
• August 22, 2012, 8:00 a.m.: 197
• August 21, 2012: 197
• August 7, 2012: 198
• May 29, 2012, 2:00 p.m.: 218
• May 29, 2012, 8:00 a.m.: 217
• May 28, 2012: 216
• May 24, 2012: 9:45 a.m.: 215
• May 24, 2012, 8:30 a.m.: 214
• April 19, 2012: 213
• April 3, 2012: 211
• April 2, 2012: 208
• March 3, 2012: 207
• March 2, 2012: 206
• February, 1, 2012: 205
• November 19, 2011: 204
• November 14, 2011: 203
• August 29, 2011: 201
• August 26, 2011: 200
• August 26, 2011: 199
• August 25, 2011: 196
• August 22, 2011: 195
• August 18, 2011: 193
• August 11, 2011: 192
• August 9, 2011: 190
• August 9, 2011: 189
• August 8, 2011: 187
• July 20, 2011: 184
• July 19, 2011, evening: 183
• July 19, 2011, morning: 182
• July 18, 2011: 180
• May 10, 2011: 179
• May 3, 2011: 178
• April 21, 2011: 176, by operator
• April 16, 2011: 175
• March 14, 2011: 174
• March 7, 2011: 173
• February 17, 2011: 172
• February 17, 2011: 171 (that didn't take long; 169 the day before)
• February 16, 201l: 169 (finally)
• February 3, 2011: 168 (within an hour it had dropped back to 167; 175 by summer?)
• January 10, 2011: 167
• December 10, 2010: 166
• November 29, 2010: 165
• November 26, 2010: 163
• November 24, 2010: 162
• November 23, 2010: 161
• November 18, 2010: 160
• November 15, 2010: 159
• November 11, 2010: 158 (for only a few hours, it appears)
• November 11, 2010: 157
• October 8, 2010: 156 (yesterday we were at 153)
• October 6, 2010: 151 (completely unexpected; holding there for 24 hours)
• October 5, 2010: 149 ( completely unexpected; only for a short period this date)
• September 3, 2010: 146 (completely unexpected)
• July 30, 2010: 143
• July 29, 2010: 142 rigs (it was 140 this morning)
• July 22, 2010: 138 rigs
• July 4, 2010: 133 rigs
• July 2, 2010: 131 rigs
• May 24, 2010: 117 rigs
• May 3, 2010: 114 rigs 
• April 27, 2010 (111 rigs)

Milestones:

• 215 rigs -- May 24, 2012
• 210 rigs -- April 3, 2012
• 205 rigs -- February 1, 2012
• 200 rigs -- August 26, 2011
• 195 rigs -- August 22, 2011
• 190 rigs -- August 9, 2011
• 185 rigs -- August 8, 2011
• 180 rigs -- July 18, 2011
• 175 rigs -- April 16, 2011
• 170 rigs -- February 17, 2011
• 165 rigs -- November 29, 2010
• 160 rigs -- November 18, 2010
• 150 rigs -- October 6, 2010
• 145 rigs -- September 3, 2010
• 140 rigs -- July 29, 2010
• 135 rigs -- July 21, 2010
• 130 rigs -- June 15, 2010
• 125 rigs -- June 11, 2010
• 120 rigs -- May 28, 2010
• 115 rigs -- May 20, 2010
• 110 rigs -- April 24, 2010
• 105 rigs -- March 25, 2010
• 100 rigs -- March 8, 2010 
•   95 rigs -- February 22, 2010: ties record

95: Bloomberg: highest rig count in US since 1993

UPDATES

April 28, 2013 (big UP movers: BR, CRL, G3 Operating, QEP, Triangle) (big DOWN movers: Petro-Hunt; Statoil [BEXP])

• Abraxas:1
• American Eagle: 1
• Armstrong: 1
• Arsental Energy: 1
• Baytex: 2
• BEXP:  0 (transitioned from STO to BEXP)
• BR:  12
• CLR:  19
• Cornerstone: 0
• Crescent Point Energy: 0
• Denbury Onshore: 0
• Emerald (was VOG): 1
• Enerplus (ERF): 3
• Environmentally Clean: 0
• EOG: 5
• Fidelity:  3
• G3 Operating (Halcon):  8
• GMX Resources: 0
• Helis (now QEP)
• Hess:  14
• Hunt: 2
• KOG: 8
• Legacy: 1
• Liberty Resources: 1
• Marathon (MRO):  5
• Murex: 0
• Newfield: 3
• North Plains: 0
• Oasis:  8
• OXY USA:  7
• Petro-Hunt: 6 (I believe Petro-Hunt sold a significant amount of acreage since last rig update)
• QEP: 8 (bought Helis since last rig update)
• Samson Oil and Gas: 1 (new to the list?)
• Samson Resources: 3
• Sequel: 1
• Sinclair: 1
• Slawson: 4
• SM Energy:  4
• Statoil: 12 (transitioned from BEXP to STO)
• Triangle: 4
• True: 1
• Welter Consulting: 1
• Whiting:  19
• WPX: 4
• XTO:  9
• Zavanna: 1
• Zenergy: 2

August 22, 2011

• Abraxas: 1
• Baytex: 2
• BEXP:  16
• BR:  9
• CLR:  14
• Cornerstone: 1
• Crescent Point Energy: 2
• Denbury Onshore: 4
• Enerplus (ERF): 2
• Environmentally Clean: 1
• EOG: 7
• Fidelity:  4
• G3 Operating (Halcon): 2
• GMX Resources: 1
• Helis: 3
• Hess:  17 
• Hunt: 2
• KOG: 8
• Legacy: 1
• Liberty Resources: 1
• Marathon (MRO):  6
• Murex: 2
• Newfield: 2
• North Plains: 2
• Oasis:  8
• OXY USA:  6
• Petro-Hunt: 12
• QEP: 4
• Samson Resources: 4
• Sequel: 1
• Sinclair: 1
• Slawson: 4
• SM Energy:  4
• Triangle: 2
• True: 1
• Whiting:  17
• WPX: 6
• XTO:  7
• Zavanna: 1
• Zenergy:  4

February 3, 2011

• CLR: 23
• WLL: 15
• Hess: 15 (includes 7 AEZ rigs)
• EOG: 9 -- has been as high as 13
• BEXP, Newfield, Oasis, Petro-Hunt, XTO: each with 7
• Encore, MRO, Slawson: each with 6
• Anschutz (now OXY), BR: each with 5
• Samson Resources: 4
• Hunt, Murex, Tracker, Zenergy: each with 3
• Baytex, KOG, North Plains, OXY, QEP, Zavanna: each with 2 (KOG says it is adding a 3rd)
• The following each had one (1) active rig in North Dakota today: Arsenal, Core 54, Cornerstone, Enerplus, Fidelity, G3, Helis, Legacy, Oil for America, Peak, Prima, Sinclair, and SM. (SM has been as high as 2; Fidelity says it is adding a second)

October 11, 2010 (compare to Jul 13, 2010): 135 (compare to October, 2009: 56):  

WLL: 14 (up 2)   
EOG: 13 (same)
CLR: 20 (up 1)   
BEXP: 7 (up 2)   
Slawson: 5 (down 1)
BR: 5 (up 2)
Marathon: 6 (down 1)
Hess: 10 (up 1)
Newfield: 5 (up 1)
St Mary Land: 2 (same)     
Petro-Hunt: 5 (same)   
Encore: 3 (same)  

XTO: 5 (same)  

Anschutz: 5 (same)
Cirque: 2 (up 2)
Zenergy: 1(down)
Tracker: 3 (same)
Zavanna: 1 (same)
Kodiak: 2 (same -- both in ND now)
Oasis: 6 (up 2) 

Murex: 2 (down 1)

Others: QEP (2 -- up 1);  Sagebrush (1 -- down 2), Hunt (2), Ritchie (1), American (4 -- up 1), Eagle (0), Baytex (2 -- down 1);  Samson (3), Simray (0 - down 1), Jayhawk (0), PDC (0), Cornerstone (2 -- same); Peak (1), Fidelity  (1), North Plains (2), BTA (1).

If a number goes down, my hunch is the rig is moving to a new site, going over to Montana, or is being refurbished. I doubt rigs are being moth-balled or sent to states outside the Bakken.

It's really quite amazing how much activity/production these companies can get out of one or two rigs. During the recent boom, the number of rigs rose to a high of 99 (summer of 2008) and dropped to a low of 33 (summer, 2009). The number of rigs is gradually increasing and it appears we will be near 90 wells by summer of 2010.

In the past, the norm was to complete a well in 45 days. Now drillers are routinely reaching "total depth" in less than 30 days (for a horizontal well; a vertical well can be drilled in about a week).

Producers used to "frac" a well immediately after the well reached total depth. They now may wait a week, a month, or even longer.

Total depth (TD): that is the total length of pipe put into the well, not the depth straight down from the surface of the ground to the targeted formation (such as the Bakken). Drillers are generally reaching the Bakken at about 9,000 feet, and then drill laterally for another mile (an additional 5,000; for one-section spacing) or two miles (an addition 10,000 after going vertical; for two-section spacing).  Therefore, a TD of 14, 000 to 15,000 suggests a "short lateral" and a TD of 18,000 or more suggests a "long lateral."

*****

Following the number of active rigs by producer will give you the best idea of what the next year will be like. This list is from November 12, 2009. Compare it with the list at the top of the page.

WLL: 7
EOG: 6
CLR: 5
BEXP: 3
Slawson: 3
BR: 3
Marathon: 3
Hess:3
Petro-Hunt: 3
St Mary Land: 3
XTO: 2
Anschutz: 3
Cirque: 2
Zenergy: 2