FRANKFURT (Reuters) -The German government has enlisted Deutsche Bank to help with the planned sale of a 20-30% stake in state-owned utility Uniper, two people close to the matter said.

Deutsche Bank joins UBS, Citi and Roland Berger, which have all secured roles in the reversal of one of the biggest bailouts in German history, one of the sources said.

Germany's Finance Ministry, which oversees the government's 99.12% stake in Uniper, and Deutsche Bank declined to comment.

Uniper confirmed that banks had been hired in the process, declining to disclose further detail.

The company and government are likely to appoint more banks to the process in coming months, the first source said.

With federal elections taking place in Germany next year, the government is keen to move quickly on Uniper as a hedge against uncertainty, the source added.

A deal is being prepared for the first half of 2025, sources have told Reuters previously.

Based on Uniper's current market value, the planned partial stake would be worth between 4 billion and 6 billion euros ($4.39 billion to $6.58 billion), though sources told Reuters in July that any sale was likely to come at a significant discount.

The German government is examining its options for Uniper, which it bailed out for 13.5 billion euros during the energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The EU Commission has approved the aid campaign on the condition that the government reduces its stake to at least 25% plus one share by the end of 2028.

($1 = 0.9117 euros)

(Reporting by Emma-Victoria Farr and Christoph SteitzAdditional reporting by Christian KraemerEditing by Madeline Chambers and David Goodman)

By Emma-Victoria Farr and Christoph Steitz