Aug 26 (Reuters) - Top U.S. energy producer Exxon Mobil ( XOM )

said on Tuesday it has made a final investment decision

to reconfigure its Baytown, Texas, complex to increase

production of diesel and base stocks.

Baytown, one of the company's largest integrated refining

and petrochemical complexes, has been central to its U.S.

operations for decades.

Exxon did not disclose the size of the investment, but said

it would allow the company to expand its product offerings to

include Group III base stocks, the key building blocks for

premium lubricants.

The company said it would produce about 8,000 barrels per

day of Group III from the Baytown complex following the

completion of the restructuring.

It is expected to start up in 2028, the company said, adding

it will also evaluate similar reconfigurations at other U.S.

Gulf Coast sites.

The Baytown move would make Exxon the only supplier to offer

the full range of Group I to V base stocks.

Base stocks refer to highly refined mineral oils, which

undergo processes to achieve greater molecular uniformity and

stability.