North America Rig Count Rises for Second Straight Week
Rigzone reports that North America’s rig count climbed by five rigs for the week ending July 24, according to Baker Hughes’ latest count, extending a rebound that follows a 26-rig jump the prior week. The total US rig count actually slipped by one to 587, while Canada added six rigs to reach 204, pushing the North America total to 791. Texas lost two rigs and Colorado gained one, and among basins, the Permian dropped one rig while the Haynesville, Granite Wash, and DJ-Niobrara each picked up a rig. Canada’s gains were spread across oil (+2), gas (+3), and miscellaneous (+1) categories. Year over year, North America is up 67 rigs, with the US adding 45 and Canada adding 22.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Land-focused crews in the DJ-Niobrara and Haynesville should note the single-rig additions there as an early signal of localized rebids for drilling and completion support, even as the Permian shed one rig the same week.
- Texas subs tied to Permian and broader state activity should watch the next two to three Baker Hughes releases (published weekly, typically Thursdays) before reading this as a trend, since the current national gain came entirely from Canada, not the US.
- Canadian oilfield service providers in Alberta and Saskatchewan should track whether the six-rig weekly gain holds, given gas-rig activity rose three and oil-rig activity rose two, suggesting demand across both commodity types rather than a single-sector spike.
