State's rig count declines

Oklahoma's rig count decreased by two this week to 80 while the number of working rigs also fell nationwide, Baker Hughes reported Friday.

The national working rig count fell to 904, down 12, week over week. This week's number of working rigs is off 144 from the 1,048 that were drilling a year ago. The number of rigs drilling for oil declined by 12 to 742, while the number of rigs drilling for natural gas remained unchanged at 162.

In Oklahoma, the count was 82 a week ago and 139 a year ago. The number of rigs working in the Cana Woodford basin remained unchanged week over week at 45.

The most active basins this week, Baker Hughes said, were the Permian in west Texas and southeast New Mexico at 429, the south Texas Eagle Ford at 67, the Marcellus Shale at 52, the Williston at 51 and the Haynesville at 49.

Power plant acquired

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. announced Friday it has closed its $26 million deal to acquire a natural gas-fired power plant in Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Cogeneration plant, which the utility renamed the Frontier Power Plant, is one of two power plants the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and regulators in Arkansas authorized the utility to acquire earlier this year to meet its ongoing power needs.

The other facility OG&E acquired was the coal-fired AES Shady Point plant near Poteau. The utility renamed that facility the River Valley Power Plant.

“We are pleased to complete the acquisition of Oklahoma Cogen, now Frontier, and are excited to welcome its employees into the OG&E family,” OG&E spokesman Brian Alford said.