HOUSTON, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The number of active drilling rigs in the United States decreased by three to 799 in the week ending Dec. 6, down by 276 rigs year-on-year, according to weekly data released by Baker Hughes on Friday.
According to the Houston-based oilfield services company, these active drilling rigs included 663 oil rigs operating in the U.S. oil fields, down by five from the previous week, and 133 gas drilling rigs, up by two from the previous week, and three miscellaneous rigs, unchanged from last week.
During the week, the state of North Dakota and Pennsylvania saw the increase in drilling rigs for one each, while the number of drilling rigs decreased the most in Texas by five to 400 rigs.
The number of horizontal drilling rigs in the country decreased the most by six, down by 238 rigs year-on-year.
By far, the Permian Basin in western Texas and eastern New Mexico State has been the largest source of shale oil production growth in the United States, which has become the engine of supply growth outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in the past years.
