Poland and Japan place particular emphasis on the energy transition of their economies and strive to deepen cooperation in the priority area of energy. The dynamics of mutual contacts are intense. Polish research units have been cooperating closely with their Japanese counterparts for years. There are many similarities between Poland and Japan in relation to the current energy mix and decarbonisation activities of the economy.

The share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix of both countries is constantly increasing. Poland and Japan share the ambition to develop economies based on zero-emission energy sources. The aim of the strategy adopted as the Energy Policy of Poland until 2040 is to ensure energy security while maintaining the competitiveness of the economy and reducing the impact of the energy sector on the environment. This plan puts great emphasis on the development of Renewable Energy Sources - in 2040, more than half of the capacity installed in Poland will be zero-emission sources. The Japanese partners are interested in the opportunities offered by renewable energy sources, seeing in them the potential to increase security and reduce rising hydrocarbon prices.

Poland is interested in cooperation in the field of clean coal technologies due to the fact that almost 90% of electricity production in Poland is based on coal. Potential areas of Polish-Japanese cooperation include carbon capture and storage technologies, co-firing of coal with low-carbon raw materials (ammonia) and recycling of carbon dioxide. In 2019, a memorandum of cooperation on clean coal technologies was signed in Warsaw. Japan is interested in using its highly developed clean technologies in the process of modernization of Polish power plants. Japanese companies are involved in the implementation of projects related to the construction, renovation or expansion of Polish coal-fired power plants.

Poland and Japan are interested in building a hydrogen economy and creating a hydrogen market. In 2018, Poland, together with Japan and other countries, signed the Tokyo Declaration to strengthen international cooperation in the field of hydrogen technology development. Japan, which is an importer of hydrogen (Australia, Brunei), sees Poland as a potential partner for cooperation due to the fact that Poland is one of the countries with the highest hydrogen production capacity in the world. In Poland, the signing of a sectoral agreement for the development of the hydrogen economy and the adoption of the Polish Hydrogen Strategy until 2030 with a perspective until 2040 took place in 2021. A member of the agreement is Toyota Motor Company. In 2023, a Memorandum of Cooperation on Hydrogen between Poland and Japan was signed.

In 2010, a Polish-Japanese agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy was concluded. Poland's Energy Policy until 2040 assumes that in 2033 the first unit of the nuclear power plant will be launched. Japanese companies headed by Hitachi and Toshiba are interested in participating in the implementation of the Polish Nuclear Energy Program. Poland regards nuclear energy as an important element of the transition to clean energy and independence from Russian supplies. For this reason, establishing a Polish-Japanese nuclear energy dialogue is very important, despite the fact that Japan suspended the use of nuclear energy after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011. Currently, Japan is gradually putting nuclear power units back into operation, and the Japanese government's goal is for nuclear power to provide 20-22% of electricity by 2030.

Poland and Japan cooperate in research on HTGR (High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors). Reactors of this type are considered a potential source of heat for industrial processes, cogeneration and hydrogen production. In 2019, the Ministry of Energy signed an agreement with the National Centre for Research and Development for the implementation of a research project on the possibility of implementing HTGR high-temperature reactor technology in Poland. In 2023, a Polish-Japanese cooperation agreement on research and development in the field of HTGR technologies was signed between the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Science. The signed agreement is a final confirmation of the political will of both governments to develop cooperation on this technology.

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