Areva Names COO Knoche Interim Chairman and CEO

French state-controlled nuclear group Areva said on Wednesday its Chief Operating Officer Philippe Knoche would hold the chairman and chief executive powers of the group until its next general assembly.

Areva, which held its last annual shareholders' meeting in May this year, said earlier this week its current head Luc Oursel had decided to step aside for health reasons but would remain available in order to ensure a smooth transition.

Oursel has run the company since 2011, but pressure has mounted on him this year as the group, more than 85 percent-owned by the government, struggles to sell new reactors and suffers under heavy debts.

Knoche's appointment is the latest leadership change at the helm of a large French energy firm, after President Francois Hollande decide to replace EDF boss Henri Proglio and Total named a successor to Christophe de Margerie, killed in a plane crash on Monday.

(Reporting by Andrew Callus; writing by Michel Rose)