The United Daily News, citing anonymous sources, reported that nine state-run banks are exposed to losses on offshore wind-related syndicated loans and that the Ministry of Economic Affairs told Taipower Chairman Tseng Wen-sheng to meet the lenders.
According to the United Daily News on October 17, all nine state-run banks hold positions in syndicated loans tied to Fuwei, part of the Fansenwei energy group. The paper did not name the banks. The largest, the Fuwei syndicate, has an outstanding balance of 65 billion, with no currency stated but presumably New Taiwan dollars; CTBC is the lead bank, joined by several large state banks.
광고 문의 · 300×250The report said Fuwei had been contractor on Taipower's offshore wind Phase 2 and that its board approved a bankruptcy petition in late September. Fuwei reportedly could not finish on schedule and clashed with Taipower over turbines, after which Taipower took over. Banks say they joined the loans to support the offshore wind localization policy and now bear losses after the policy changed course.
Lenders also said parent Cheng Wei Group issued a letter of support that the group now says has no legal effect, which they say damaged trust. Sources said the Ministry of Finance raised the matter with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which told Tseng to meet the syndicate. Tseng reportedly met the Fuwei lenders for the first time about two weeks ago and said Taipower would study a solution; Taipower had not responded as of the report.
Banks want Taipower to use guarantee deposits collected from the two firms to repay advances they made for equipment purchases. Some secured lenders have begun legal action including provisional attachment, which one syndicate member said could stop if Taipower releases funds. A senior executive at a large bank cited the 2021 solar-firm Inwin case, where the founder personally repaid about 40 percent of bank claims, as a possible model for Cheng Wei.
Banks warned that unless the case is resolved, state banks may decline to join future policy-driven offshore wind financing, which could affect later projects such as Phases 3-3 and 3-4. All of this rests on anonymous sources and was not confirmed in the report by the ministry, Taipower or Cheng Wei Group. Offshore wind is central to Taiwan's energy transition, so changes in financing conditions bear watching.