Drones in French energy and industry: sensitive sites and networks

Who it is for

• Owners, operators and maintenance managers of wind farms, solar plants, power, gas and heat networks in France
• HSE, security and procurement managers of French industrial, ICPE and Seveso sites
• Engineering and inspection firms, including foreign ones, adding drones to inspections in France
• Professional drone operators working for industry and energy

What this guide does not do: It does not open access to nuclear site perimeters: that channel is reserved to operators and their cleared contractors · It does not replace site safety rules, the drone operator's risk assessment or statutory equipment inspections · It does not repeat the common regulatory baseline (categories, training, registration), covered in the complete 2026 guide

Contents of the complete guide

1. The five locks of a mission on an energy or industrial site (free extract below)
2. No-fly zones and sensitive sites: nuclear, defence, ZICAD
3. The operator's agreement and the prevention plan
4. ATEX, heat, electromagnetic fields: site-specific hazards
5. Wind turbines and tall structures: 120 m, the obstacle exception and beyond
6. Lines, pipelines, networks: BVLOS along a linear asset
7. Solar: ground-mounted plants, rooftops and carports
8. Data confidentiality: sensitive sites, critical operators, trade secrets
9. Worked cases and common mistakes
10. Printable checklists

Included: 26 checklist items and 3 decision or reference tables.

Introduction

This guide is for clients and drone operators in energy and industry in France: onshore and offshore wind, ground-mounted, rooftop and carport solar, power lines and substations, gas pipelines and heat networks, factories, installations classified for environmental protection (ICPE, the French regime for hazardous facilities) and Seveso sites. In these trades a successful drone flight depends less on piloting than on five locks to open in the right order: airspace, the site operator's agreement, on-site risk prevention, explosive atmospheres and the flight framework (height, beyond visual line of sight).

Chapter 1 sets out the five locks in a table that works on its own. The following chapters take them one by one, then cover data confidentiality, worked cases, common mistakes and printable checklists. The common baseline (open and specific categories, training, AlphaTango operator registration, prior notification for populated areas, general penalties) is covered in the complete 2026 guide; we only return to it where it has a consequence specific to these trades.

If you manage assets in several European countries, note that France adds national layers on top of EU regulation 2019/947: national no-fly zones, a separate ban on aerial data capture in certain zones (ZICAD), and a strict labour-law framework for contractors on site. A method that works in your home country may not be enough here.

This guide is up to date as of 30 September 2026. C-DRONE is not the DGAC (the French civil aviation authority), the industrial installations inspectorate or any official body: only published texts (Légifrance, Official Journal of the EU), the official restriction map and site operators' rules are binding. Where a rule is decided site by site, we say so and tell you who decides.

The five locks of a mission on an energy or industrial site

An operator may be fully qualified and a drone perfectly suited, and the mission still fail on the day because one lock was not opened. Order matters: there is no point building a prevention plan for a site where image capture is prohibited, or booking a shutdown without knowing whether the flight goes above 120 m.

The table of locks

The method on one page

1. Locate precisely the site and route (coordinates, footprint, linear length) and plot them on the official restriction map on Géoportail: drone zone layer and ZICAD layer.
2. Write down the maximum height of the structure to inspect (blade tip, stack top, pylon) and the length of the linear asset.
3. Ask the site operator for its contractor intervention rules, the HSE contact, the ATEX zoning and confidentiality constraints.
4. Have the drone operator qualify the framework in writing: open subcategory, STS-01, STS-02, exemption or authorisation.
5. Build the schedule from the longest lock and fit the mission into an operating window (shutdown, low production, weather).

Three warning signs on a quote

• No mention of the airspace situation or of the structure's height.
• A "S1", "S2" or "S3" scenario quoted in 2026: these French national scenarios can no longer be used since 1 January 2026.
• No line on HSE preparation (prevention plan, induction, permits) for an operating industrial site.

Frequently asked questions

How do I receive the guide?

Right after payment you are redirected to the complete guide's page. Bookmark it, or print it to PDF (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, “Save as PDF”). Stripe also emails you the receipt.

Do I get an invoice?

Yes: Stripe generates the invoice and emails it. You can enter your company name and VAT number at checkout.

Is the guide kept up to date?

Yes. The guide's page is updated when the rules change; your access stays valid and you always read the latest version.

Does this guide replace the official texts or a training course?

No. C-DRONE is neither the French civil aviation authority (DGAC) nor a training organisation: the guide explains and organises the paperwork, with links to the official sources, which alone are authoritative.

Other guides

All regulation guides →

Free articles on the topic

• Almond orchards and drone: Xylella fastidiosa, young orchards and early frost, price
• Industrial hemp by drone: nitrogen, biomass and lodging detection, price
• RTBA (military very-low-level network): what a professional drone operator must check before a mission
• Drone Services in Saône-et-Loire (71): Nuclear Forging, the Kodak Brownfield, Côte Chalonnaise Vineyards and the Navigable Saône
• Drone Services in the Aude (11): Carcassonne Citadel, Canal du Midi, Vineyards and Floating Wind
• Drone Services in Calvados (14): UNESCO-Listed D-Day Beaches, Offshore Wind and the Horse Industry

By purchasing, you request immediate access to the digital content and acknowledge that you lose your right of withdrawal (French consumer code, article L221-28, 13°). Questions before buying: devis@c-drone.fr.