The search for new oil and gas production in Oklahoma was constant in the past week based on the number of drilling rigs active in the state’s energy plays, according to the latest rig count from the Baker Hughes Company.
There were no changes reflected in the number of rigs as the state’s rig count remained at 51. It’s a sign there is no let-up in drilling activity.
The Cana Woodford remained the most active play with 21 rigs followed closely by the Granite Wash at 18. The two plays have see-sawed back and forth over the past few months but generally, the Cana is the most active with more rigs and its numbers do not include any drilling in the Texas Panhandle.
The Granite Wash is a tight sand play located in Western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. It is a significant field for both oil and gas production and, although the formation is predominantly composed of sand, has been a beneficiary of horizontal drilling methods developed for shale plays. The name Granite Wash is a catch-all term that refers to a number of oil and gas producing formations, mostly Pennsylvanian in age. The area covered by the Granite Wash is approximately 160 miles long and 30 miles wide. It varies in depth from 11,000 to 15,400 feet and is 3000 feet thick on average.
The Cana Woodford is a strict Oklahoma play, and the drilling is focused in Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Custer, Dewey, Garvin, Grady, Kingfisher, McClain, Stephens counties.
Other plays in the state remain with no changes as the Ardmore Woodford count continued with 2 rigs and the Arkoma Woodford had only one active rig. The Mississippian went another week with no reported drilling activity, according to Baker Hughes.
Other plays
The Permian basin remains the king of drilling activity and according to the Baker Hughes Rig Count had a total of 268 rigs active in the past week, the same count as the previous week. It includes West Texas and Southeast New Mexico.
The Haynesville, largely a gas play in East Texas and throughout Louisiana, saw a growth of one rig for a total of 57. The Eagle Ford in South Texas also added one rig for 51 total active rigs.
The Williston in North Dakota and Montana had a significant increase of 5 rigs to reach 32. The Utica was unchanged at 10 rigs and there was no change in the Marcellus with a count of 23 rigs. The D-J Basin in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming remained at 11 active rigs.
The Barnett play of north Texas remained at one rig.
