July 24 (Reuters) - French nursing care provider Orpea had its accelerated safeguard plan approved on Monday by a court, the company said in a statement, a key step in the financial restructuring of the heavily indebted group.

The Nanterre Commercial Court's decision should enable the implementation of an agreement signed in February with a group of investors led by France's public lender, Caisse des Depots et Consignations (CDC), which will take control of the group, making the French state its main shareholder.

"Today an essential decision has just been taken to save the company," CEO Laurent Guillot said in a statement. "ORPEA's future is therefore assured."

The restructuring plan was approved at the end of June by a majority of the groups of creditors. Orpea needed the court ruling to impose it on all of them.

(Reporting by Augustin Turpin and Dina Kartit; Editing by Jan Harvey and Alison Williams)