03:33 PM EDT, 06/25/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were softer late Wednesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index down 0.2% and the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) easing 0.1%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector index was falling 1.1%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities index dropped 1.2%.

US crude oil stocks, including those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell by 5.6 million barrels in the week ended June 20, following a decrease of 11.2 million barrels in the previous week. Excluding inventories in the SPR, commercial crude oil stocks fell by 5.8 million barrels after an 11.5-million-barrel drop in the previous week, a larger drop than the 1.1-million-barrel decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 1.2% to $65.13 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract advanced 1.1% to $67.85 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures were 2.5% lower at $3.57 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, WEC Energy ( WEC ) said Wednesday that it plans to extend the operating lives of units 7 and 8 at the Oak Creek Power Plant in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and expects to have the units available to meet higher energy demand periods through the end of 2026. WEC shares were down 2.2%.