INTERVIEW-Devon says looking for new shale plays

NEW ORLEANS, April 7 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Devon Energy Corp (DVN.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday the independent oil and gas company is actively looking for new shale acreage as a means of boosting natural gas production.

"We are, like lots of companies, looking in a lot of different places where there may be some meaningful additional shale resources," Larry Nichols told Reuters. "Some we have looked at and passed over, and some we are pursuing and have leases."

He declined to provide any additional details.

Devon, the largest U.S. independent energy company by market capitalization, has no current plans to increase its 2008 capital budget or sell assets as some peers have recently done, Nichols said. (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)