* Neoen IPO could value the firm at 1 billion euros
* Natixis, JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) appointed lead advisers for IPO
* Neoen capacity seen doubling to 3-4 GW by 2020
By Geert De Clercq
PARIS, March 7 (Reuters) - France's Neoen plans a stockmarket listing by the end of 2018 that could value the renewableenergy developer at 1 billion euros ($1.24 billion), a sourcefamiliar with the matter said on Wednesday.
The source told Reuters the initial public offering (IPO)was aimed mainly at providing an exit for private equity groupOmnes Capital, which has two funds with a combined 24 percentstake in Neoen.
"Omnes is at the end of its holding period, the IPO willgive it the opportunity to exit," the source said, adding thatNeoen has little need for external cash as its currentshareholders are funding its capital needs.
Omnes Capital could not immediately be reached for comment.
Neoen was founded by Jacques Veyrat, the former chiefexecutive of commodities giant Louis Dreyfus, who still owns a56 stake in Neoen through his investment vehicle Impala and whowill hang on to its majority stake in the IPO.
State investment fund Bpifrance owns 14 percent of Neoen.
The source said it was too early to comment on a precisevalue for the company so far ahead of the operation but that onebillion euros would be a reasonable figure.
"Let's say that Jacques Veyrat has a good track record atraising unicorns," he said.
The source said Neoen had appointed Natixis and JPMorgan aslead banks for the share sale, with Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) andBarclays in a supporting role.
The source said Neoen, which has invested one billion eurosin renewable energy assets since its foundation in 2008, isgrowing quickly in France, Australia and Latin America, notablyin Mexico and Argentina.
The company has 1,525 megawatts of renewable energygenerating capacity installed or under construction and isaiming for capacity of 3,000 to 4,000 MW by 2020.
It is one of several start-up French renewable energycompanies that are competing with market leaders EDF EDF.PA and Engie ENGIE.PA .
It stole a march on its big competitors in 2015 by opening a300 MW solar farm, then Europe's biggest, near Bordeaux.
Neoen chief executive Xavier Barbaro told Reuters in Sept.2016 the firm was considering an IPO before the end of thedecade in order to fund its rapid growth.
Several promising French renewable energy firms have beenbought by French utilities recently, including solar firmSolairedirect, acquired by Engie for 430 million euros in 2016,and Quadran, bought by Direct Energie DIREN.PA last year.