The Hydrogen Poland Association and the Hungarian Hydrogen Technology Association – HHTA have gone ahead and signed one of low-emission hydrogen, green ammonia deals. On the same day, in Tokyo, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signed a broad strategic partnership agreement between Poland and Japan, as part of another set of hydrogen, green ammonia deals which included hydrogen and ammonia technologies as vital to economic security.
The dates are no coincidence. It is a sign of the states’ joint efforts to transform the experience of the March 2026 crisis into practical strategic choices.
Background – the limitations of tactical solutions
Since the conflict between the USA, Israel, and Iran in March 2026, the Strait of Hormuz has been closed. The magnitude of the shock is highlighted by the fact that 94.2% of Japan’s oil imports in February 2026 were from the Middle East.
Tokyo’s response was unprecedented. On 16 March, Japan announced its largest-ever release from strategic reserves, of 80 million barrels, or the equivalent of 15 days of private reserve demand and one month of national reserve demand, while lowering the private stockholding requirement from 70 days to 55 days. The government announced another release on April 10, equivalent to 20 days of consumption, starting in May. Prime Minister Takaichi said Japan will receive more than half of its imports through routes other than Hormuz by May.
The biggest strategic reserves in the world are not a structural solution but a time buffer. The latter implies a change of the energy carrier and its geographical origin. That’s the point of the April 15 agreements.
What’s inside the Warsaw-Budapest MoU?
Aleksander Naumann from Hydrogen Poland and Zoltán Butsi from HHTA signed the agreement, which sets a framework for cooperation in regulatory and market matters.
The key priorities are:
- Legal framework for a European green ammonia supply chain
- Advancing as well as refining RFNBO – Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin regulations
- Conditions for setting up a Regional Hydrogen Bank or any other OPEX support scheme for renewable hydrogen production in Central Europe
The cooperation also goes on to include the exchange of experience from pilot projects and the coordination of positions on certification and guarantees of origin.
What the Warsaw-Tokyo partnership means?
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s as well as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s agreement paves the way for Poland to access Japan’s mature ammonia technology ecosystem, from green ammonia-powered burners and boilers to maritime logistics and long-term contracting structures.
These are capabilities that Europe does not have on a similar scale but are crucial for import projects under development across the Mediterranean basin and the Red Sea region, including the Gulf of Aqaba.