NEW YORK, Oct 29 (Reuters) - U.S. energy company Expand

Energy ( EXE ), the nation's biggest natural gas producer,

expects to spend less to produce more gas in 2025 and 2026, the

company's CEO Nick Dell'Osso told analysts on an earnings call

on Wednesday.

"We are clearly spending less for more production, which is

the ultimate definition of efficiency," Dell'Osso said.

In its earnings release, Expand said its full year 2025 net

production would be around 7.15 billion cubic feet of gas

equivalent per day (bcfed), about 50 million cubic feet of gas

equivalent per day (mmcfed) higher than its prior production

guidance midpoint.

Expand said it reduced its full year capital investment

expectations by around $75 million to $2.85 billion, inclusive

of about $250 million to build productive capacity by exiting

2025 with around 12 rigs.

Should market conditions warrant, Expand said, this

incremental capital investment positions the company to

efficiently grow production to around 7.5 bcfed in 2026.

One billion cubic feet is enough gas to supply about five

million U.S. homes for a day.

In the Haynesville Basin in Texas and Louisiana, Dell'Osso

said the company was able to deliver with 7 rigs, the same

production it took 13 rigs to deliver in 2023.

"These efficiency gains are sustainable and deliver

significant improvement to our breakeven, which today averages

less than $2.75 (per thousand cubic feet) across the basin,"

Dell'Osso said.

"These efficiencies will carry forward to 2026," he said.

In the third quarter, Expand said it operated an average of

11 rigs, drilling 41 wells and turning 57 wells to sales,

resulting in net production of about 7.33 bcfed, about 92% of

which was gas.