Poland signs nuclear cooperation memorandum with Japan

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

The Polish and Japanese governments have signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of nuclear energy. Poland, which is seeking to develop its first nuclear power stations, hopes that the arrangement will allow it to drawn on Japan’s experience to “build nuclear skills and competences”

Ahead of today’s signing ceremony, media reports had suggested that the agreement would include Japan becoming a partner in developing a nuclear plant in Poland. However, the Polish industry ministry later confirmed that this is not part of the current arrangement.

Porozumienie z delegacją japońską, które zostanie podpisane w czwartek 7 listopada br. dotyczy szeroko rozumianej współpracy w zakresie energetyki jądrowej. Wbrew doniesieniom niektórych mediów nie oznacza ono zawarcia umów związanych z budową drugiej elektrowni jądrowej. 1/3

— Ministerstwo Przemysłu (@MPgovpl) November 6, 2024

The memorandum was signed in Warsaw by Marzena Czarnecka, Poland’s industry minister, and Shinji Takeuchi, Japan’s deputy minister of economy, trade and industry.

Their agreement “confirms the interest in bilateral cooperation between both countries for the development of nuclear energy as a technology that allows achieving the goals of energy transformation and has a positive impact on energy security”, said the Polish ministry.

“This cooperation allows Poland to build nuclear skills and competences, which is crucial for the implementation of the Polish Nuclear Power Program,” it added, also noting that “leading companies in the Japanese nuclear sector are showing interest in developing cooperation”.

The current Japanese government delegation, which has visited Romania as well as Poland, includes representatives from firms including Hitachi, Eneos Holdings and IHI, reports Business Insider Polska.

 

Poland has never operated a nuclear power station, with previous plans to develop one not coming to fruition.

However, in 2020, the former Law and Justice (PiS) government announced the aim of starting construction of the country’s first nuclear plant in 2026. In 2022, the United States was chosen as the international partner in that project, which is to be located in Choczewo on the Baltic coast.

PiS was removed from power in December 2023, but the new government, led by Donald Tusk, has committed itself to continuing its predecessor’s nuclear ambitions.

In September, it published plans to spend 60 billion zloty (€13.9 billion) by 2030 on developing Poland’s first nuclear plant, with construction now slated to begin in 2028.

Poland’s government intends to spend over 60 billion zloty (€14 billion) between 2025 and 2030 on developing the country’s first nuclear power plant.

That will cover an estimated 30% of the total costs, with the remainder coming from foreign borrowing https://t.co/1PKe7zoobd

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) September 5, 2024

The PiS government also put in place plans for a second nuclear power plant, and ahead of today’s memorandum some media outlets in both Japan and Poland had reported that Japan would be picked as the international partner in that project.

However, on Wednesday afternoon, Poland’s industry ministry announced that, “contrary to reports in some media, [the memorandum with Japan] does not mean the conclusion of agreements related to the construction of a second nuclear power plant”.

Instead, it “concerns broadly understood cooperation in the field of nuclear energy”, including “cooperation at the level of economic entities and industrial technologies, the exchange of information, organisation of workshops, social communication on nuclear safety and technological support”.

Business Insider Polska also reports that the memorandum will lead to cooperation in Poland’s development of so-called small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), though the ministry has not publicly commented on that.

Poland has one of Europe’s most polluting energy sectors, with the country relying on coal for almost two thirds of its electricity generation last year. Both the current and former governments have planned for a mix of nuclear and renewables to replace coal over the coming decades.

Renewables generated a record 26% of Poland’s electricity in 2023, up from 19% the previous year.

However, coal continued to produce most of the country’s power, accounting for almost two thirds of the energy mix https://t.co/JQqfMkOK4I

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 3, 2024

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Ministerstwo Przemyslł (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.