ExxonMobil Corp. has formally broken ground on construction works for the operator’s planned reconfiguration of its 584,000-b/d integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Baytown, Tex.
On Jan. 20, the operator kicked off official construction on its Baytown Refinery Reconfiguration Project (BRRP) to increase the complex’s production of higher-demand products such as Group III base stocks and distillates, as well as improve the site’s operational efficiency,
“Breaking ground on this project marks a major step forward in delivering the high-performance Group III base stocks our customers need,” said Basel Al-Aghbar, vice-president of ExxonMobil Basestocks and Waxes.
Part of the operator’s commitment to investing in its base stocks portfolio to meet increasingly more stringent regulations, the BRRP will “provide blending solutions that meet performance requirements today and as they continue to evolve into the future,” to help customers “navigating real performance and supply challenges,” Al-Aghbar said.
Years in the making, Baytown’s Group III base stocks expansion aims to help meet those demands, according to Al-Aghbar.
Start of construction on BRRP follows ExxonMobil’s final investment decision (FID) in August 2025 to move forward with the project as part of the company's broader strategy to shift production capacity toward higher-margin products, particularly amid long-term expectations of declining gasoline demand.
Once online, ExxonMobil said it expects the Baytown project to position the operator as the only global supplier offering the full spectrum of Group I through Group V base stocks.
ExxonMobil said technical works on the BRRP will entail adjusting rates and yields across three existing but unidentified units to shift some of the site’s gasoline production to higher-demand lubricant base stocks as well as output of diesel to align with falling demand for traditional gasoline over time.
The project remains on schedule for startup in 2028, the operator said.
Global supply expansion
While the BRRP, once completed, will bring the site’s Group III production capacity to about 8,000 b/d to provide a reliable domestic source specifically for the North American market, the project follows on the operator’s other recent investments intended to strengthen base stock supply globally.
In 2025, subsidiary ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. (EMAPPL) completed startup of its previously announced residual upgrading project at the operator’s integrated refining and petrochemical complex on Jurong Island, Singapore.
The company also completed startup of extra-heavy EHC Group II/II+ production at its Rotterdam refinery in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2019.
