Energy stocks were ending mixed this afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index climbing 0.2% and the SPDR Energy Select Sector ETF (XLE) down 0.5% in late trade.
The Philadelphia Oil-Service Sector index was sliding 0.4%, giving back an early advance, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was slipping 1.1%.
Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil settled $1.75 higher at $87.35 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent crude was advancing $1.08 to $89.28 per barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose $0.22 to $4.28 per 1 million BTU.
In company news, Clean Energy Fuels (CLNE) rose 6.5% on Wednesday after announcing plans to build a methane capture facility at the Millenkamp dairy farm in Idaho through its joint venture with BP (BP). Once operational, the facility is expected to produce around 5 million gallons of renewable natural gas per year.