The Houston based service company began producing the quarterly data in addition to its traditional weekly count of active rigs.
Rig activity often no longer fully reflects drilling levels in many plays given the efficiency of high-spec rigs in shale operations, which are designed to crank out multiple wells in quick succession.
"On average, the US onshore rig fleet produced 5.34 new wells during the fourth quarter, representing a 1% improvement in drilling efficiencies compared to the third quarter," Baker Hughes said in a statement.
The
