Areva CEO Luc Oursel steps down as he battles ‘illness’

Areva chief executive Luc Oursel announced Monday he had stepped down for health reasons, more than three years after he was appointed to head up the French nuclear giant.

“Under these very difficult personal circumstances, and despite my very strong commitment to Areva, I have had no choice but to hand over my responsibilities at the head of the company and have chosen to take a leave of absence in order to pursue treatment,” Oursel said in a statement.

“I must now fight a personal battle against the illness,” he added, without detailing what health problems he suffers from.

The company, which is 87-percent owned by the French state, has suffered in recent years as interest in nuclear power has cooled following the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe in Japan.

Areva announced earlier this month that it would cut investments and step up sales of non-strategic assets as it tries to shore up its finances.

“All of my thoughts remain with the teams at Areva,” Oursel said in the statement.

“I have been happy and proud to mobilise them in the difficult context for the turnaround of the company, for the benefit of the country, and I am convinced that they will succeed.”