*

Longer term, tariff impact depends on outcome and scale of

program

*

Expand well-positioned for Gulf Coast demand growth -

analyst

*

Expand says on track to produce more in 2025, 2026 to meet

growing demand

*

Expand plans $2.7 bln investment to boost production by

2025

*

Expand aims for 7.5 bcfed production by 2026 with 15 rigs

*

(Rewrites throughout, adds details)

April 30 (Reuters) -

Expand Energy ( EXE ) said on Wednesday the biggest natural

gas producer in the U.S. expected minimal near-term impact from

President Donald Trump's on-again off-again

tariffs

due in part to the company's existing contracts.

In the longer term, the possible tariff impact is

"largely dependent upon outcome and scale of tariff program,"

Expand, formerly known as Chesapeake Energy before its merger

with Southwestern Energy in 2024, said in its first quarter

earnings presentation.

While the oil markets have been roiled by Trump's

changing tariff policies in his first 100 days in office,

natural gas and its liquefied state, LNG, have fared better.

On his first day of his second term, Trump ordered the

resumption

of LNG export approvals - something former President Joe

Biden had paused - and has started rolling back environmental

regulations that slowed projects, mainly on the Gulf Coast.

"We ... view Expand as one of the best positioned in

domestic E&P (exploration and production) to benefit from

increasing Gulf Coast natural gas demand," analysts at

investment banking company Piper Sandler said in a note.

Much of the expected demand growth for gas in 2025 and

2026 will come from annual increases of around 18% in LNG

exports and increases of around 8% in pipeline exports to Mexico

and Canada, according to the

Energy Information Administration

(EIA).

With six LNG export plants under construction along the

Gulf Coast, the federal agency projected

LNG exports

would keep hitting fresh record highs every year for the

next decade or so.

Meanwhile, Expand said it was on track to produce more

gas in 2025 and 2026 to meet growing demand for the fuel,

repeating what it said in its fourth quarter earnings in

February.

Expand executives told analysts on its earnings call it

expected to run about 12 rigs and invest about $2.7 billion to

produce around 7.1 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent per day

in 2025.

It also repeated plans to build incremental productive

capacity for an additional $300 million by exiting 2025 with

about 15 rigs that will grow production from a year-end 2025

exit rate of about 7.2 bcfed to average about 7.5 bcfed in 2026

should market conditions warrant.

Expand said this gives the company flexibility to remove

productive capacity capital expenditures if markets materially

soften.

"We continue to execute our business, utilizing our

productive capacity to navigate today's dynamic macro

environment and be prepared to efficiently respond as market

conditions change," Expand CEO Nick Dell'Osso said in its

earnings release.