There were 50 rigs each working in the Marcellus and Haynesville shale gas plays last week as operators dropped units across the country to meet investor demands to favour capital discipline over growth.
The Haynesville's rig count usually tracks lower than that of the Marcellus. The play, which sprawls across Texas and Louisiana, was running 50 rigs at the end of May to the Marcellus' 62, according to data from Baker Hughes. The Marcellus is the US' largest onshore gas play and lies in the north-eastern US, in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The recent decline in gas prices has caused several operators in both basins to drop rigs.
According to Baker Hughes, the number of rigs chasing gas dropped by seven to 153 this week, while the number of oil rigs fell by five to 733.
That compares with 867 active oil rigs and 186 working gas rigs in the same period a year ago.
Most recently, Marcellus operators dropped four rigs for a total of 15 in West Virginia but added two in the Pennsylvania area last week. In the Haynesville, the rig count in Louisiana remained steady at 30 while in Texas one unit was added for 20.
Despite gaining in the Haynesville, Texas saw the largest drop in rigs across states, losing eight rigs for a total of 430.
The loss was reflected in the Permian basin, where the count fell by eight to 419.
