ATHENS, Sept 10 (Reuters) - U.S. oil major Chevron ( CVX )

has submitted a bid to explore for natural gas in four

blocks offshore Greece in a consortium with Greece's Hellenic

Energy, Greece's Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou

said on Wednesday.

The country launched the tender this year after Chevron ( CVX ) and oil

refiner Hellenic Energy expressed interest in four deep-sea

blocks off the Peloponnese peninsula and the island of Crete.

The deadline for bids was at 1700 (1400 GMT) on Wednesday.

A Chevron ( CVX ) spokesperson confirmed the bid for the four

blocks.

"Chevron ( CVX ) has a large and important position in the Eastern

Mediterranean, a region which is very much a part of our future

and a priority for us."

Greece, which produces very small volumes of oil, has ramped

up renewables output in recent years but still relies heavily on

gas for power generation. The country aims to tap domestic

resources as part of a European Union push to shift away from

Russian energy after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Major gas finds off Egypt, which lies south of Crete, have

sparked hopes that Greek waters could also contain significant

gas reserves.

The area off Crete borders two licensed blocks where an

ExxonMobil-led consortium has been evaluating seismic data

before taking any final decision on test drilling.