WTI Crude--
Brent Crude--
Natural Gas--
ND Rig Count--
WTI Crude--
Brent Crude--
Natural Gas--
ND Rig Count--
BAKKEN WIRE
North Dakota Rig Count Falls to 22, Down Two This Week - Bakken Wire
Rig Report

North Dakota Rig Count Falls to 22, Down Two This Week

State's active rig count declines as two Mountrail County units are released, while national rig activity edges higher.

Bakken Wire Staff·🌅Afternoon Wire·

The active rig count in North Dakota fell to 22 on Friday, May 15, 2026, down two units from the previous day, according to live rig data from Bakken Wire.

Two rigs were released from service, both located in Mountrail County. Silver Hill Energy Operating, LLC released the NABORS B27 rig from location 158-94-35. OASIS PETROLEUM NORTH AMERICA LLC released the NOBLE 4 rig from location 157-93-13. No rigs were reported moving to new locations.

The current count of 22 active rigs represents a net decrease of one unit compared to one week ago, on May 8, 2026, when the state had 23 rigs running. However, drilling activity in the state remains higher than a month ago, up three rigs from the 19 units active on April 15, 2026.

The state's slight weekly decline contrasts with a modest increase in national drilling activity. According to Baker Hughes's weekly rotary rig count for the week ended May 15, the US rig count increased by 3 units to reach 551 rigs running, Bing News reported. The national gains were driven by oil-directed rigs, which rose by 5 to 415.

Texas led the nation with a five-rig gain, while New Mexico, a key Permian Basin state, added one rig to reach 96 active units. On a year-over-year basis, however, the US count is down 25 units from the 576 rigs working at this time last year, according to the Bing News report.

Horizontal drilling continues to dominate US activity, with 484 rigs running, an increase of three from the previous week. In North Dakota's Bakken formation, horizontal drilling is the standard completion technique.

While the US land rig count advanced by 4 units to 531, offshore drilling declined by one rig. Canada's overall rig count held steady at 124 units for the week, Bing News reported.

The recent movements in North Dakota's rig count reflect the ongoing, measured pace of drilling activity in the Williston Basin, as operators balance capital discipline with maintaining production from the prolific Bakken shale formation.

Source

Bakken Wire live rig data, Bing News article "US rig count up 3 units while Canada’s count holds steady" published May 15, 2026.

rig countdrillingmountrail countysilver hill energyoasis petroleumbaker hughes

Share this article

PostShareShareEmail

Related Articles

North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 34, Up 10 from July - Bakken Wire
Rig Report

North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 34, Up 10 from July

The number of active drilling rigs in North Dakota remained unchanged at 34 on Sunday, August 23, according to live data from Bakken Wire. The count showed no movement, with no new rigs added, removed, or relocated since Saturday. The current activity level represents a significant increase from recent lows. The rig count is up by two from the 32 rigs reported one week ago on August 16, and is up by ten from the 24 rigs active one month ago on July 24. While onshore shale activity in the Bakken holds steady, major international oil companies are pursuing high-risk, high-reward drilling projects in other basins. According to a report from OilPrice.com, Mexico's Pemex and Brazil's Petrobras have formed a partnership to drill prospects in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico off Mexico's coast. The companies are targeting source rock formations described as miles deeper and eight times...

🌅Afternoon Wire·Aug 23
North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 34, Up 10 from July - Bakken Wire
Rig Report

North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 34, Up 10 from July

North Dakota's active drilling rig count held steady at 34 on Sunday, with no rigs added, removed, or moved in the past 24 hours, according to live Bakken Wire data. The current count represents a two-rig increase from one week ago and a ten-rig jump from the 24 rigs active one month ago on July 24, 2026. The stability at a higher level follows a period of significant growth, underscoring increased operator confidence. According to a recent state briefing, the count had reached 33 rigs earlier in the week, up from 26 in mid-July. Nathan Anderson, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, highlighted the importance of this expansion during an Aug. 20 media briefing, Yahoo Finance reported. "We have seven additional rigs in the basin this month that we didn't have just 30 days ago, and that's important," Anderson said. The recent rig count increase has been...

☀️Morning Wire·Aug 23
North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 34 as Multi-Week Expansion Continues - Bakken Wire
Rig Report

North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 34 as Multi-Week Expansion Continues

North Dakota's active drilling rig count held steady at 34 on Saturday, August 22, according to live data from Bakken Wire. The count showed no daily change, with zero new rigs added, zero rigs removed, and no rigs moving location. Despite the static daily figure, the current activity level represents a sustained multi-week expansion in the Williston Basin. The rig count is up by two from the 32 rigs active one week ago on August 15, and has risen by nine rigs, or over 36%, from the 25 rigs operating one month ago on July 23. The broader uptick in drilling coincides with an improvement in the state's oil production, according to a recent report. A source from Bing News, published August 20, noted that North Dakota's oil production numbers continue to improve amid higher oil prices resulting from an ongoing U.S. war with Iran. The state relies heavily on...

🌅Afternoon Wire·Aug 22