The arrest of Albanian businessman Ermal Beqiri in France continues to be the focus of French media, which are paying attention not only to his identity, but also to the object over which he flew without authorization.
According to French public media ICI , the 44-year-old Albanian has been fined 7,000 euros by the Amiens Prosecutor's Office after illegally flying over the Penly nuclear power plant, in the Seine-Maritime region.
Beqiri was arrested at Albert airport, while Albanian authorities confirmed to the French News Agency (AFP) that he was the subject of an international search warrant.
But what the French media underline is the particular importance of the Penly power plant.
Penly is no ordinary nuclear power plant. It has been chosen by the French state and state-owned company EDF as the site for the first two EPR2 reactors, part of a national program for six new nuclear reactors, which will also be built in Gravelines and Bugey. The project is considered one of France's largest strategic investments in recent decades and aims to put the first reactor into operation by 2038.
According to official documents and announcements from EDF, Penly is today the first site of the EPR2 program, where preparatory works, infrastructure investments and the mobilization of thousands of workers have already begun. The project is considered one of the largest industrial sites in Europe and a key element of the French strategy for energy security.
It is precisely this strategic status that explains the immediate reaction of the French authorities to the unauthorized flight over the plant.
The case was first made public by Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD), which reported that the pilot's profile had raised concerns with French authorities.
While the latest report by public media ICI, citing the Amiens Prosecutor's Office and AFP, confirms the fine and arrest of the Albanian businessman, bringing back into focus the strategic importance of the Penly power plant in France's new nuclear program.