U.S. Rigs Are Being Idled, but the Oil Boom Is Not Ending

Is the U.S. Drilling Frenzy Over?

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The U.S. drilling frenzy is over. What’s not is the boom in oil production.

While companies have idled 151 rigs in five shale formations since reaching a peak of 1,157 in October, they’ll need to park another 200 for growth to stall, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Output there will reach a record 5.47 million barrels a day in March even though the number of rigs exploring for oil is the lowest since