據海灣新聞網2022年3月12日紐約報道，美國頁巖勘探公司本周恢復了增長模式，一個月內增加了最多的鉆機。 

根據貝克休斯公司3月11日發布的數據，在3月11日結束的那周里美國在用石油鉆機數增加了8部，達到了527部，這是自2月11日以來的最大增幅。 繼上周減少3部石油鉆機后，此次增加的大部分來自世界上最忙的頁巖盆地——位于西得克薩斯州和新墨西哥州的二疊紀盆地。  

由于油價每桶突破100美元，美國敦促美國石油公司增加原油產量。美國西得克薩斯中質原油自去年11月初以來迄今已上漲66%。

不過，增加產量的呼吁與主要頁巖勘探公司將財務紀律置于增長之上的承諾相沖突，而且考慮到對化石燃料歷來的敵意，以及新鉆井活動無法帶來長期回報的風險，許多頁巖勘探公司對此持謹慎態度。  

隨著時間的推移，鉆井活動的效率提高了，因為勘探公司可以用更少的鉆機和更少的支出做更多的事情。目前，美國鉆井活動仍比疫情爆發前的高點低逾20%。 

在用鉆機數量是一個受到密切關注的指標，因為它預示著未來的原油產量。 然而，這種關系并不完美，因為從鉆一口井到開始生產之間存在時間差。 過去一年左右，在用鉆機數量的增長主要來自于少數人持股的勘探公司，這些公司希望提高產量，以期尋求收購機會。  

李峻 編譯自 海灣新聞網

原文如下：

Shale drilling climbs as oil prices surge

Shale explorers returned to growth mode this week, adding the most rigs in a month.

The number of rigs drilling for crude in the US rose by 8 to 527 this week, the biggest gain since February 11, according to Baker Hughes Co. data released Friday. Most of the expansion, which follows last week’s drop of 3 oil rigs, came in the world’s busiest shale patch, the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico.

President has urged US oil companies to step up production as oil prices above $100 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate crude, which was already rallying before the war, is now 66 per cent up since early November.

The plea for more production collides with commitments that major shale explorers have made to prioritize financial discipline over growth, though, and many are wary given  historic hostility toward fossil fuels and the risk that new drilling won’t pay off over the long term.

Drilling activity, which has become more efficient over time by allowing explorers to do more with fewer rigs and less spending, remains more than 20 per cent below pre-pandemic highs.

The rig count is a closely watched metric because it’s indicative of future crude production. The relationship is imperfect, however, because of the time lag between drilling a well and commencing production. Most of the growth in the rig count over the past year or so has been from the closely held explorers looking to boost output in order to seek offers to get bought out.