• SMU new site announcement banner
  • Skip to main content

    Environment and Energy

    Exploratory Rig Counts Collapsing While Production Increases

    Written by Peter Wright


    The energy sector has been one of the critical steel-using market segments which is impacting the steel industry at this time. There are two separate issues at the moment, exploration and production, and they are moving in opposite directions. The exploratory rig count is collapsing and production is increasing.

    Figure 1 shows historical gas and oil prices since January 2000. The daily spot price of West Texas Intermediate fell below $100 in August and by January 23rd was down to $44.80. By March 9th, the latest daily figure available from the Energy Information Administration, (EIA) the price of WTI had recovered to $49.95. Brent closed at $58.67 on the same day. Natural gas delivered to the Henry Hub in Louisiana fell below $4.00 in August, there was an uptick in November, the slide continued through February then this month through the 6th there was a 14 cent recovery.

    Latest in Environment and Energy