BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 23. Global gas drilling activity continued its upward trend in August 2025, with the total number of rigs rising by eight month-on-month to reach 457, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) said, Trend reports.
The increase was mainly driven by heightened activity in North America—particularly the US and Canada—and in Latin America, notably Argentina. Onshore rigs accounted for the bulk of activity at 425 units, while 32 rigs operated offshore.
Exploration in August yielded 1.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in new discoveries, dominated by oil, which represented 81% of the total, with natural gas making up 19% (45 bcm). A total of eight new discoveries were announced, five of them offshore.
Latin America led the new discoveries, contributing 82% of the total, primarily in Brazil. Norway was the only notable contributor from Europe. The standout find was the Bumerangue well in Brazil’s pre-salt Santos Basin, the largest discovery of August and the most significant so far in 2025. Positioned south of existing pre-salt fields, the Bumerangue discovery opens new exploration opportunities in one of the world’s most prolific basins.
Cumulative volumes discovered between January and August 2025 reached 3.9 billion boe, with natural gas accounting for 260 bcm, or 39% of the total.
