Brazil's oil auction beats revenue forecast as Petrobras secures major lots

SAO PAULO, June 26 (Reuters) - Brazil held a highly anticipated auction for oil from its pre-salt region on Thursday, with state-run Petrobras PETR4.SA emerging as the big winner in the sale set to bring in revenues of 28 billion reais ($5.08 billion).

The amount exceeded initial government forecasts of 25 billion reais and should provide a boost to public coffers as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration seeks to meet its fiscal targets.

The auction was held by state-run firm PPSA, which is responsible for selling the portion of oil that companies producing under sharing contracts in pre-salt oilfields must hand over to the government under Brazilian law.

Petrobras PETR4.SA acquired three of the seven lots put up for sale, securing a total of 36.5 million barrels of oil from the Mero and Sepia fields.

Equinor EQNR.OL bought 14 million barrels of oil from Mero, while a consortium between Galp GALP.LS and ExxonMobil XOM.N purchased another 14 million. Petrochina 601857.SS along with the Mataripe refinery secured 10 million barrels.

"It was our auction with the highest number of participants and winners, the best prices, and we broke the record for premium over the lots. It was a great success, without a doubt," PPSA head Luis Fernando Paroli told reporters.

He added that PPSA expects to hold auctions for 100 million barrels of oil next year, potentially generating 37 billion reais in revenue.

($1 = 5.5117 reais)