Helllenic Petroleum Bid for Greek O&G Exploration Licences

Greece's biggest refiner, Hellenic Petroleum, has bid for oil exploration licences in two onshore blocks in the west of Greece, it said on Friday.

Greece last year invited oil firms to express interest to search for oil and gas in three blocks in the west as part of its drive to develop untapped oil reserves and cut its hefty energy bill.

Hellenic Petroleum, along with Italy's Edison and Ireland's Petroceltic won last year a licence to search for oil off the Peloponnese peninsula. Greece's sole oil producer Energean Oil & Gas, 45 percent owned by hedge fund Third Point, said it had also submitted a bid.

The deadline for submitting bids expired earlier on Friday.

Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou