EDF nuclear execs protest Fessenheim closure plan

PARIS, Sept 20 (Reuters) - EDF's nuclear plant managers have assailed government plans to close the state-controlled company's Fessenheim nuclear power station in a letter of support to the facility's workers, French media reported.

The letter, signed by EDF managers of 22 nuclear reactors throughout France, said they understood "the feeling of injustice" among the plant's employees.

French President Francois Hollande, who took office in May, said on Friday he would shut Fessenheim in Alsace, near the German border, by the end of 2016, sticking to his election pledge to halt its operations by the end of his mandate in 2017.

The facility, which went into service in 1977, is France's oldest nuclear power plant and has been a frequent focus of safety concerns since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan that triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Last week, environmental groups called for its early closure after a steam leak at the plant triggered a brief fire alert.

A study commissioned by EDF's works council found that some 2,200 jobs could be threatened in the eastern French region where the plant is located, financial daily Les Echos reported.

"This decision creates profound uncertainty about EDF's entire plan for its nuclear reactor fleet," the managers said in the letter, describing their "incomprehension" at the move. (Writing by Christian Plumb; Editing by Dale Hudson) (christian.plumb@thomsonreuters.com; 33 1 4949 5130; Reuters Messaging: christian.plumb.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)