01:28 PM EDT, 09/20/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks fell Friday afternoon with the NYSE Energy Sector Index and the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) both decreasing 0.2%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector index rose 0.1%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities index gained 0.8%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil climbed 0.6% to $72.35 a barrel, while global benchmark Brent shed 0.1% to $74.81 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures rose 2.1% to $2.40 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Constellation Energy ( CEG ) entered into a 20-year deal with Microsoft (MSFT) with the energy company restarting the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania to help power the technology giant's data centers with carbon-free energy. Constellation shares surged 19%, and Microsoft eased 0.4%.