The board of ACE Enexor Inc., Ayala group’s listed oil and gas unit, will reorganize with new President and Director, Rolando “Don” J. Paulino.

Paulino, who was previously the managing director in Shell Philippines Explporation B.V. (SPEX), the operating entity of the multi-billion Malampaya gas field venture, officially took over top position last Jan. 1.

His designation as president of ACE Enexor was approved by the firm’s board on Dec. 10 last year, as previously disclosed with the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). In that post, Paulino replaced Raymundo Reyes who has been designated General Manager of Ace Enexor effective Jan. 1.

As culled from ACE Enexor’s PSE disclosure, Paulino has “27 years of international senior leadership experience in the energy sector and has worked in various sites in United Kingdom, Malaysia, Australia, and the Philippines.”

The new president of the company, according to ACE Enexor, similarly “led large production and manufacturing facilities including those that supply more than 25 percent of energy of a country needs with passion, integrity, and care for people.”

At Shell, Paulino served as company executive in various capacities including as Vice President for Philippines Upstream, apart from his role as SPEX managing director. He was also board director in Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Tabangao Realty Inc., Philippine Energy Independence Council, Petroleum Association of the Philippines, Malampaya Foundation Inc and Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc.

Paulino’s entry into the Ayala-led oil and gas company treads into the exciting times of the energy sector, as ACE Enexor is in that stage of pursuing portfolio growth not just in oil and gas exploration, but also in the thriving liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry.

One major project development that ACE Enexor will be pursuing is the proposed LNG terminal that will be integrated with a 1,100-megawatt gas-fired power generating facility in Batangas – and that is being pursued with newly minted partner Gen X Energy L.P., which is an affiliate of American equity investment firm The Blackstone Group.

The 50:50 joint venture deal between ACE Enexor and Gen X Energy was firmed up in November, but the signing of final definitive agreements will be concretized upon securing regulatory approvals, including targeted go-signal of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the Ayala firm’s bid for increased authorized capital stock.

The blueprinted Batangas Clean Energy LNG terminal, which is targeted on stream by year 2025, will have a capacity of three million tonnes per annum and the proposed power plant will serve as its anchor load. The estimated investments for both projects could top $1 billion.

Another major project for ACE Enexor is its oil and gas exploration venture at service contract (SC) 55 in Palawan, which is lined up as one of the potential replacements for the Malampaya field.