FRANKFURT, May 15 (Reuters) - RWE will decide

on whether to expand or extend share buybacks next year, its

finance chief said, pouring cold water on hopes for a more

aggressive approach.

"The current share buyback programme runs until the second

quarter of 2026, and at that point we will also look at whether

we should extend the programme," finance chief Michael Mueller

told journalists after presenting first-quarter results.

He said there would be no decision before that.

RWE's current buyback programme has a volume of up to 1.5

billion euros and several investors, including Elliott

, have urged the company to expand the programme

significantly.