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BAKKEN WIRE
North Dakota Rig Count Rises to 32 with New Burlington Resources Rig - Bakken Wire
Rig Report

North Dakota Rig Count Rises to 32 with New Burlington Resources Rig

Bakken rig activity continues upward trend, gaining one new drilling rig and one rig move in McKenzie County on Friday.

Bakken Wire Staff·🌅Afternoon Wire·

The number of active drilling rigs in North Dakota increased by one to 32 on Friday, August 14, according to Bakken Wire live data. One new rig began operations and one rig was moved to a new location, with no rigs released.

Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company LP was the sole operator adding a new drilling unit, deploying the NABORS b20 rig in McKenzie County at location 151-96-7. Burlington also moved its NABORS X8 rig to the same location in the county.

The current count of 32 active rigs represents a significant increase over recent periods. The rig count is up by four from one week ago, when 28 rigs were active, and is up by six from one month ago, when the count stood at 26.

This local increase aligns with a broader uptick in U.S. drilling activity. According to a report from OilPrice.com, the total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States rose this week, with the national count reaching 593. The number of active oil rigs specifically rose by one to 455, which is 43 more than the same time last year.

The report also noted that weekly U.S. crude oil production rebounded slightly, averaging 13.805 million barrels per day for the week ending August 7. This is up from 13.804 million bpd the prior week and represents an increase of 521,000 bpd from a year ago.

Oil prices provided a supportive backdrop for the increased activity. OilPrice.com reported that on Friday, Brent crude was trading at $87.94 per barrel, up more than $4 from the previous week. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading at $81.81 per barrel.

The increased rig activity in the Bakken follows a national trend of more crews completing wells. OilPrice.com cited Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, which estimates the number of completion crews, rising by two to 196 in the week ending August 7. Other major basins like the Permian also saw rig gains, adding two to reach 265 active rigs.

The consistent weekly and monthly gains in North Dakota's rig count suggest operators are responding to sustained higher price levels by cautiously adding drilling capacity, with McKenzie County remaining the core area for activity.

Source

Bakken Wire live rig data, OilPrice.com report published August 14, 2026

rig countdrillingburlington resourcesmckenzie countybakkenoil production

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