PAGE 1 000 A000000 05/31/2017 000 C000000 0001502711 000 D000000 N 000 E000000 NF 000 F000000 Y 000 G000000 N 000 H000000 N 000 I000000 6.1 000 J000000 A 001 A000000 NUVEEN ENERGY MLP TOTAL RETURN FUND 001 B000000 811-22482 001 C000000 3129178200 002 A000000 333 WEST WACKER DRIVE 002 B000000 CHICAGO 002 C000000 IL 002 D010000 60606 002 D020000 1286 003 000000 N 004 000000 N 005 000000 N 006 000000 N 007 A000000 N 007 B000000 0 007 C010100 1 008 A000001 NUVEEN FUND ADVISORS, LLC 008 B000001 A 008 C000001 801-14147 008 D010001 CHICAGO 008 D020001 IL 008 D030001 60606 008 D040001 1286 008 A000002 FIDUCIARY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC 008 B000002 S 008 C000002 801-46751 008 D010002 ST. LOUIS 008 D020002 MO 008 D030002 63105 012 A000001 COMPUTERSHARE 012 B000001 84-05925 012 C010001 CANTON 012 C020001 MA 012 C030001 02021 013 A000001 PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP 013 B010001 CHICAGO 013 B020001 IL 013 B030001 60606 014 A000001 NUVEEN INVESTMENTS, LLC 014 B000001 8-13464 015 A000001 STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY 015 B000001 C 015 C010001 BOSTON PAGE 2 015 C020001 MA 015 C030001 02111 015 E010001 X 018 000000 Y 019 A000000 Y 019 B000000 177 019 C000000 NUVEENFUND 020 A000001 LIQUIDNET 020 B000001 13-4095933 020 C000001 155 020 A000002 MORGAN STANLEY 020 B000002 13-2655998 020 C000002 55 020 A000003 CITIGROUP 020 B000003 13-3214963 020 C000003 26 020 A000004 JEFFERIES & CO 020 B000004 95-2622900 020 C000004 24 020 A000005 JONES TRADING 020 B000005 95-3583143 020 C000005 20 020 A000006 BTIG 020 B000006 04-3695739 020 C000006 20 020 A000007 CREDIT SUISSE 020 B000007 13-5659485 020 C000007 11 020 A000008 BARCLAYS CAPITAL 020 B000008 06-1031656 020 C000008 9 020 A000009 UBS 020 B000009 13-2638166 020 C000009 8 020 A000010 ROBERT W. BAIRD 020 B000010 39-6037917 020 C000010 8 021 000000 359 022 A000001 LIQUIDNET 022 B000001 13-4095933 022 C000001 15311 022 D000001 31487 022 A000002 BAYPOINT TRADING LLC 022 B000002 04-3695739 022 C000002 6842 022 D000002 3249 022 A000003 CITIGROUP 022 B000003 13-3214963 022 C000003 9555 022 D000003 0 022 A000004 CITATION GROUP PAGE 3 022 C000004 4282 022 D000004 0 022 A000005 JEFFERIES & CO 022 B000005 95-2622900 022 C000005 288 022 D000005 2938 022 A000006 WEEDEN & CO 022 B000006 13-3364318 022 C000006 1010 022 D000006 0 022 A000007 MORGAN STANLEY 022 B000007 13-2655998 022 C000007 910 022 D000007 0 022 A000008 RBC DOMINION 022 B000008 13-5033225 022 C000008 858 022 D000008 0 022 A000009 LYNCH, JONES & RYAN 022 B000009 13-3356934 022 C000009 585 022 D000009 0 022 A000010 ROBERT W. BAIRD 022 B000010 39-6037917 022 C000010 0 022 D000010 246 023 C000000 39642 023 D000000 37921 024 000000 N 026 A000000 N 026 B000000 N 026 C000000 N 026 D000000 Y 026 E000000 N 026 F000000 N 026 G010000 N 026 G020000 N 026 H000000 N 027 000000 N 028 A010000 0 028 A020000 0 028 A030000 0 028 A040000 0 028 B010000 0 028 B020000 0 028 B030000 0 028 B040000 0 028 C010000 0 028 C020000 0 028 C030000 0 028 C040000 0 PAGE 4 028 D010000 0 028 D020000 0 028 D030000 0 028 D040000 0 028 E010000 0 028 E020000 0 028 E030000 0 028 E040000 0 028 F010000 0 028 F020000 0 028 F030000 0 028 F040000 0 028 G010000 0 028 G020000 0 028 G030000 0 028 G040000 0 028 H000000 0 030 A000000 0 030 B000000 0.00 030 C000000 0.00 031 A000000 0 031 B000000 0 032 000000 0 033 000000 0 035 000000 0 036 B000000 0 038 000000 0 042 A000000 0 042 B000000 0 042 C000000 0 042 D000000 0 042 E000000 0 042 F000000 0 042 G000000 0 042 H000000 0 043 000000 0 044 000000 0 045 000000 Y 046 000000 N 047 000000 N 048 000000 0.000 048 A010000 0 048 A020000 0.000 048 B010000 0 048 B020000 0.000 048 C010000 0 048 C020000 0.000 048 D010000 0 048 D020000 0.000 048 E010000 0 048 E020000 0.000 PAGE 5 048 F010000 0 048 F020000 0.000 048 G010000 0 048 G020000 0.000 048 H010000 0 048 H020000 0.000 048 I010000 0 048 I020000 0.000 048 J010000 0 048 J020000 0.000 048 K010000 0 048 K020000 0.000 049 000000 N 050 000000 N 051 000000 N 052 000000 Y 053 A000000 N 054 A000000 Y 054 B000000 Y 054 C000000 N 054 D000000 N 054 E000000 N 054 F000000 N 054 G000000 N 054 H000000 Y 054 I000000 N 054 J000000 Y 054 K000000 N 054 L000000 N 054 M000000 Y 054 N000000 N 054 O000000 Y 055 A000000 N 055 B000000 N 056 000000 Y 057 000000 N 058 A000000 N 059 000000 Y 060 A000000 N 060 B000000 N 061 000000 0 062 A000000 N 062 B000000 0.0 062 C000000 0.0 062 D000000 0.0 062 E000000 0.0 062 F000000 0.0 062 G000000 0.0 062 H000000 0.0 062 I000000 0.0 062 J000000 0.0 PAGE 6 062 K000000 0.0 062 L000000 0.0 062 M000000 0.0 062 N000000 0.0 062 O000000 0.0 062 P000000 0.0 062 Q000000 0.0 062 R000000 0.0 063 A000000 0 063 B000000 0.0 066 A000000 Y 066 B000000 N 066 C000000 N 066 D000000 N 066 E000000 N 066 F000000 N 066 G000000 Y 067 000000 N 068 A000000 N 068 B000000 N 069 000000 N 070 A010000 Y 070 A020000 Y 070 B010000 Y 070 B020000 N 070 C010000 Y 070 C020000 N 070 D010000 Y 070 D020000 N 070 E010000 Y 070 E020000 N 070 F010000 Y 070 F020000 N 070 G010000 Y 070 G020000 N 070 H010000 Y 070 H020000 N 070 I010000 Y 070 I020000 N 070 J010000 Y 070 J020000 N 070 K010000 Y 070 K020000 N 070 L010000 Y 070 L020000 N 070 M010000 N 070 M020000 N 070 N010000 Y 070 N020000 N 070 O010000 Y 070 O020000 Y PAGE 7 070 P010000 Y 070 P020000 N 070 Q010000 Y 070 Q020000 N 070 R010000 Y 070 R020000 N 071 A000000 39864 071 B000000 39247 071 C000000 796541 071 D000000 5 072 A000000 6 072 B000000 8 072 C000000 536 072 D000000 0 072 E000000 0 072 F000000 3823 072 G000000 0 072 H000000 0 072 I000000 0 072 J000000 40 072 K000000 9 072 L000000 17 072 M000000 15 072 N000000 0 072 O000000 0 072 P000000 1529 072 Q000000 0 072 R000000 30 072 S000000 13 072 T000000 0 072 U000000 0 072 V000000 0 072 W000000 -1822 072 X000000 3654 072 Y000000 0 072 Z000000 -3110 072AA000000 12649 072BB000000 0 072CC010000 0 072CC020000 20348 072DD010000 26625 072DD020000 0 072EE000000 0 073 A010000 0.3806 073 A020000 0.0000 073 B000000 0.0000 073 C000000 0.2933 074 A000000 0 074 B000000 3350 074 C000000 0 074 D000000 0 PAGE 8 074 E000000 0 074 F000000 0 074 G000000 0 074 H000000 0 074 I000000 735018 074 J000000 448 074 K000000 0 074 L000000 0 074 M000000 4148 074 N000000 742964 074 O000000 2712 074 P000000 627 074 Q000000 0 074 R010000 0 074 R020000 0 074 R030000 0 074 R040000 246135 074 S000000 0 074 T000000 493490 074 U010000 39562 074 U020000 0 074 V010000 12.47 074 V020000 0.00 074 W000000 0.0000 074 X000000 7 074 Y000000 244433 075 A000000 0 075 B000000 540539 076 000000 12.82 077 A000000 N 078 000000 N 080 C000000 0 081 B000000 0 082 B000000 0 083 B000000 0 084 B000000 0 086 A010000 60 086 A020000 791 086 B010000 0 086 B020000 0 086 C010000 0 086 C020000 0 086 D010000 0 086 D020000 0 086 E010000 0 086 E020000 0 086 F010000 0 086 F020000 0 087 A010000 COMMON STOCK 087 A020000 67074U103 087 A030000 JMF PAGE 9 088 A000000 N 088 B000000 N 088 C000000 N 088 D000000 N SIGNATURE STEPHEN D. FOY TITLE V.P. & CONTROLLER