Former general manager Kou Wei of China Datang Group was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in the first instance. In December 2024, two years after retiring, Kou Wei was announced to be under investigation. He had previously served as the deputy general manager of Huaneng Group, the general manager and chairman of State Grid Corp, and held the title of “Electricity Tiger”.
On April 1, the Intermediate People’s Court of Xing’an League in Inner Mongolia publicly announced the first-instance verdict of Kou Wei, former deputy secretary of the party committee and general manager of China Datang Group Co., Ltd., for charges including bribery, taking bribes using influence, corruption, and abuse of power by state-owned company staff.
Kou Wei was sentenced to death for bribery, with a two-year reprieve, and ordered to confiscate all of his personal assets. Additionally, he was sentenced to 12 years for corruption, 8 years for taking bribes using influence, and 4 years for abuse of power by state-owned company staff.
The court mentioned that from 1996 to 2024, Kou Wei, in various positions including plant manager of Yunnan Manwan Power Plant, deputy director of Yunnan Electricity Industry Bureau, deputy general manager of Yunnan Power Group Co., Ltd., general manager and chairman of Yunnan Lancang River Hydropower Development Co., Ltd., deputy general manager of China Huaneng Group Corp., general manager and chairman of State Grid Corp., and general manager of China Datang Group Co., Ltd., took advantage of his positions and powers to facilitate and provide assistance to relevant units and individuals in project contracting, business operations, and job promotions. He illegally accepted over 154 million RMB in assets.
From September 2023 to November 2024, after leaving his position, Kou Wei continued to use his influence and powers from his former role as chairman of State Grid Corp. to assist in project contracting by accepting over 9.05 million RMB in illegal payments from relevant units and individuals.
From 2001 to 2012, Kou Wei, while serving as the general manager and chairman of Yunnan Lancang River Hydropower Development Co., Ltd., made improper decisions to provide guarantees for loans from banks to subordinate companies for stock purchases and securities investments, resulting in losses. To cover up these irregular guarantees and losses, Kou Wei colluded with others to embezzle over 138 million RMB in construction funds of Yunnan Lancang River Hydropower Development Co., Ltd., diverting 55.93 million RMB for personal gain and using 82.61 million RMB to cover previous losses, causing significant losses to state-owned properties.
In December 2024, Kou Wei, who had been retired for two and a half years, was investigated. In June 2025, he was expelled from the party, deprived of related benefits, and transferred to judicial authorities. In November, he was prosecuted for four charges, and his first trial was held on January 9 of this year.
Kou Wei, born in October 1961 in Jianchuan, Yunnan, is a senior engineer at the professor level. He started working in August 1983 and had a long career in the Yunnan power system. He later held positions such as chairman of Huaneng Lancang River Hydropower Co., Ltd. and chief engineer of China Huaneng Group Corp. In February 2010, Kou Wei became the deputy general manager of Huaneng Group.
On July 1, 2016, Kou Wei became the general manager of State Grid Corp. On December 13, 2018, he was appointed as the chairman of State Grid Corp.
In January 2020, Kou Wei was unexpectedly transferred to Datang Group as the general manager, returning to the power generation sector. This transition from leading the grid to being the second-in-command at a power generation enterprise was an unusual career move in the power system.
In May 2022, Kou Wei retired from his position.
According to the official website, China Datang Group Co., Ltd. was established on December 29, 2002. It is a centrally managed state-owned mega-sized energy enterprise with a registered capital of 37 billion RMB, engaging in businesses including electricity, coal chemical industry, finance, environmental protection, trade and logistics, and emerging industries.