Energy stocks were higher Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index adding 0.8% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) increasing 0.1%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was rising 0.7%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was up 0.6%.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 1.4% to $91.26 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract advanced 0.7% to $93.79 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures fell 2.9% to $3.09 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, Oklo (OKLO) shares gained 2.8% after it said Thursday that the US Department of Energy has approved the preliminary documented safety analysis for the Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory under the department's Reactor Pilot Program.