09:20 AM EDT, 09/11/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were edging higher premarket Wednesday, with The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLE ) up 0.1%.

The United States Oil Fund ( USO ) was up 1% and the United States Natural Gas Fund ( UNG ) was 1.3% higher.

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 2% at $67.07 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Global benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil rose 1.8% to reach $70.43 per barrel, and natural gas futures were up 2.1% at $2.28 per 1 million British Thermal Units.

Transocean ( RIG ) shares were up over 3% after the company said overnight it signed a drillship contract for the Deepwater Atlas with BP (BP) in the US Gulf of Mexico.

Centrus Energy ( LEU ) stock was more than 3% higher after the company said it has signed a supply deal with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for low-enriched uranium to support the construction of new enrichment facilities at its American Centrifuge Plant in Ohio.

ONEOK ( OKE ) shares were up 0.5% after the company said late Tuesday it priced an offering of $7 billion of senior notes in six series.