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(Reuters) – U.S. energy firms this week cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating for the first time in three weeks, energy services firm Baker Hughes said in its closely followed report on Friday.
The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, fell by four to 546 in the week to October 31, the lowest since September.
Baker Hughes said this week’s decline puts the total rig count down 39 rigs, or 7% below this time last year.
It said oil rigs fell by six to 414 this week, their lowest level since September, while gas rigs rose by four to 125, their highest since August 2023.
FIRMS SHIFT FOCUS AMID LOWER ENERGY PRICES
In Texas, the biggest oil and gas producing state, the rig count fell by one to 235, the lowest since September 2021. In Louisiana, meanwhile, the rig count rose by one to 41, the highest since September 2024.
The oil and gas rig count declined by about 5% in 2024 and 20% in 2023 as lower U.S. oil and gas prices over the past couple of years prompted energy firms to focus more on boosting shareholder returns and paying down debt rather than increasing output.
The independent exploration and production (E&P) companies tracked by U.S. financial services firm TD Cowen said they planned to cut capital expenditures by around 3% in 2025 from levels seen in 2024.
That compares with roughly flat year-over-year spending in 2024, increases of 27% in 2023, 40% in 2022, and 4% in 2021.
US EIA PROJECTED HIGHER OUTPUT
Even though analysts forecast U.S. spot crude prices would decline for a third year in a row in 2025, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projected crude output would rise from a record 13.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024 to around 13.5 million bpd in 2025.
On the gas side, EIA projected a 56% increase in spot gas prices in 2025 would prompt producers to boost drilling activity this year after a 14% price drop in 2024 caused several energy firms to cut output for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic reduced demand for the fuel in 2020.
EIA projected gas output would rise to 107.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2025, up from 103.2 bcfd in 2024 and a record 103.6 bcfd in 2023.
Reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis and David Holmes
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