European media was abuzz Thursday with news that French power giant EDF had reported unidentified drones had flown over seven nuclear power plants in the month of October.
An air force spokesman said the drones were small sized and available commercially and were not considered a threat. But suspicion quickly turned to the activist group Greenpeace due to an incident in 2012, when a para glider dropped a smoke bomb on the LeBugey facility in a stunt that was filmed by Greenpeace with a camera carried by a drone.
Greenpeace denied any involvement with the flyovers in October, which were first noticed Oct. 5.
Greenpeace however, has been critical of nuclear power plant security in the past and said the flyovers illustrated a potential security weakness.
The flyovers appear to be coordinated around the country, as four incidents occurred on the Oct. 19 at four different — Bugey, Gravelines, Chooz and Nogent-sur-Seine, The Guardian reported.
The first drone EDF spotted was at the Creys-Malville nuclear plant in south-east France. French law states that no aircraft is permited to fly within 1,000 meters of a nuclear power plant.
In France, 75 percent of its electricity is generated by nuclear power.
The company operates 58 nuclear power plants in the country.