Coinciding with the rise of oil prices to the highest level in 7 years, the numbers of active oil and gas exploration platforms in the United States rose for the fourth week in a row.

In its weekly report today, Baker Hughes Energy Services said that the number of platforms increased by 7 to 563 over the week ending November 19.

The number of exploration platforms in the United States is an early indicator of future production.

The index thus reached its highest level since April 2020, when oil prices dramatically collapsed in conjunction with epidemiological constraints around the world. The increase now comes after prices reached their highest level in years, amid calls by Washington to increase production to calm prices.

In detail, the data showed an increase in the number of U.S. oil platforms operating by 7 to 461 this week, while the number of gas platforms stabilized at 102.