Engie said it has spudded an exploration well in the northern North Sea close to the Gjoa platform.
The company is operator of the PL 636 Cara well, 35 kilometres from shore and six kilometres from Gjoa.
The water depth is about 350metres.
Engie said the drilling operation is expected to take around 41 days.
The licence partners in PL 636 are Engie with a 30% stake.
Idemitsu Petroleum Norge has a 30% stake while Tullow Oil has a 20% stake and Wellesley Petroleum has a 20% share.
Earlier this week it was revealed Engie had launched an internal investigation after a barge drifted towards the Gjoa platform last month.