More natural gas rigs are now operating in the United States than before the pandemic

US gas

U.S. natural gas rig count and monthly dry natural gas production

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), September 2022 and Baker Hughes Company

Republished September 16, 10:00 a.m. to correct figure labels and Haynesville geography.

U.S. natural gas producers are operating more drilling rigs now than at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Before the pandemic, the number of operating rigs in the United States had generally been declining. On January 31, 2020—when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services first declared a public health emergency related to COVID-19—the Baker Hughes Company reported that 112 natural gas rigs were operating in the United States. The number of natural gas-directed rigs continued to fall in the first half of 2020, reaching a low of 68 rigs on July 24, 2020, the fewest in Baker Hughes’s historical data, dating back to 1987. Since then, the natural gas rig count has generally been increasing, returning to pre-pandemic levels in January 2022. On September 9, Baker Hughes reported that 166 natural gas rigs were operating in the United States, 54 more than at the outset of the pandemic in the United States.

As natural gas drilling increases in the United States, we expect that production will grow as well. Our September Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) estimates that dry natural gas production averaged 97.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in the United States during August 2022. We expect U.S. dry natural gas production to increase throughout the STEO forecast period (2022–23), averaging 100.5 Bcf/d during December 2023.

Our Drilling Productivity Report (DPR) measures historical natural gas production in selected onshore regions, including the Appalachia, Haynesville, and Permian regions, where most of the natural gas activity is concentrated. To develop estimates of overall changes in production for each region, the DPR uses recent rig activity data, but it also explicitly considers:

  • Recent information on rig productivity
  • Average oil and natural gas production rates from new wells during their first full month of operation
  • Estimated changes in production from existing wells

weekly U.S. natural gas rig count in select production regions

Data source: Baker Hughes Company

Most of the growth in natural gas-directed rigs in the United States has been in the Haynesville region, which spans Texas and Louisiana. The rig count in Haynesville increased by more than 50% between January 2020 and August 2022. Even though Haynesville wells are relatively deeper and more expensive to develop, drilling in Haynesville remains economical. Haynesville’s well productivity and proximity to the U.S. Gulf Coast liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals and to major industrial natural gas consumers draws operators to the region.

Rig activity in the Appalachia region of Pennsylvania and West Virginia is close to returning to the 51 operating rigs reported as of January 31, 2020; it stood at 48 natural gas-directed rigs as of July 29, 2022. Improved well productivity, pipeline buildouts, and increased takeaway capacity have aided the long-term trend of production growth in Appalachia over the past 10 years; however, regional transportation capacity limits may have begun to constrain drilling activity in the region.

Permian region: weekly oil rig count and WTI crude oil price

Data source: Baker Hughes Company
Note: WTI=West Texas Intermediate

In the Permian region, spanning West Texas and New Mexico, most natural gas production is associated gas produced from oil wells. Permian producers respond to fluctuations in the crude oil price when planning their rig deployment. Crude oil prices and oil-directed rigs both declined in 2020 amid peak COVID-19 mitigation efforts. In 2021, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil price increased steadily, averaging $68 per barrel (b) for the year, compared with $39/b in 2020. WTI prices continued to increase in 2022, averaging more than $100 per barrel in the first half of the year. The number of oil-directed rigs in the region has also been generally rising since the 2020 lows, but the rig count is still 15% below the January 31, 2020, pre-pandemic count of 406 rigs.

Principal contributor: Naser Ameen

About Stu Turley 4139 Articles
Stuart Turley is President and CEO of Sandstone Group, a top energy data, and finance consultancy working with companies all throughout the energy value chain. Sandstone helps both small and large-cap energy companies to develop customized applications and manage data workflows/integration throughout the entire business. With experience implementing enterprise networks, supercomputers, and cellular tower solutions, Sandstone has become a trusted source and advisor.   He is also the Executive Publisher of www.energynewsbeat.com, the best source for 24/7 energy news coverage, and is the Co-Host of the energy news video and Podcast Energy News Beat. Energy should be used to elevate humanity out of poverty. Let's use all forms of energy with the least impact on the environment while being sustainable without printing money. Stu is also a co-host on the 3 Podcasters Walk into A Bar podcast with David Blackmon, and Rey Trevino. Stuart is guided by over 30 years of business management experience, having successfully built and help sell multiple small and medium businesses while consulting for numerous Fortune 500 companies. He holds a B.A in Business Administration from Oklahoma State and an MBA from Oklahoma City University.