February 7, 2025
US natural gas drilling rig count by trajectory, horizontal and vertical, for 4 major basins gas; Haynesville, Marcellus, Eagle Ford, and Utica:
- Horizontal drilling offers higher production efficiency through longer laterals and more frac stages. The overall trend shows a preference for horizontal drilling due to efficiency and production advantages over vertical wells. Both trajectories were significantly affected by major economic events, such as the gas price crash in 2015/2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
- Average Horizontal Drilling was about 229 rigs in early 2012. A consistent decline followed reaching a trough of around 63 rigs by mid-2016, primarily due to the gas price crash. Rig counts recovered from 2017 to 2019, with rig counts peaking at around 132. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused another steep decline to approximately 76 rigs in 2020. Horizontal drilling rebounded ending H1 2022 at roughly 120 and dropped to 77 rigs in H1 2024.
- Average Vertical Drilling was about 15 rigs in early 2012. By 2017, the vertical rig count dropped to fewer than 1 rig due to shifting industry priorities and lower profitability of vertical wells. Data shows 2 Vertical rigs operating in 2018-2019, dropping in H1 2024 to only 1 rig.
See Also:
Well Depth of Major US Gas Basins 2023
References: