Germany said Friday that France should close down its oldest nuclear plant, Fessenheim, which was built in 1977 and is located near the German and Swiss borders.

"This power plant is very old, too old to still be in operation," said a spokesman for Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Barbara Hendricks.

"That's why the environment minister demands its closure at the earliest possible date," he said, reiterating Berlin's earlier demands after media reports on a 2014 safety incident.