Higher horsepower rig utilizes 3 PZ2400 mud pumps

An ultrahigh-specification rig with three high-horsepower mud pumps is making long lateral wells a reality in the Permian.

The rig count for the Permian Basin on June 1 was up by 113 rigs to 477 units over last year’s count of 364, according to Baker Hughes, a GE company. Among those 477 units is Calgary-based AKITA Drilling’s Rig 90.

The 3,000-hp ultrahigh-specification rig is under contract with a major U.S. E&P company and is operating in southeastern New Mexico. Custom built in 2014 to drill deep Canadian gas wells with long laterals, the rig and its crew are fitting in nicely as the “new guy” in the crowded Permian Basin.

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