Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan)

The European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) is a key instrument for driving the transition to a climate-neutral energy system by developing innovative, low-carbon and cost-competitive technologies.

Objectives

The SET Plan aims to achieve the EU’s energy and climate goals and turn Europe into a world leader in clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.

These objectives are achieved by:

• Support for the coordination of national research and innovation (R&I) activities to develop low-carbon energy between EU Member States and four partner countries (Norway, Iceland, Turkey and Switzerland).
• The alignment of national R&I programmes with the European energy and climate agenda.

The SET Plan intensifies cooperation between governments, industry and research centers to take advantage of the use of R&I financing plans for clean energy. It is increasingly important that investments, both public and private, are channeled into the technologies necessary for the energy transition.

Areas of action

The activities of the SET Plan are grouped into ten R&I actions that cover the entire innovation chain, from research to market entry, and address both financial and regulatory frameworks.

The members of the working groups include industry representatives, research centres and non-governmental organisations, as well as national and regional authorities responsible for research, innovation, climate action and energy. Its job is to identify and define the strategic objectives and R&I activities of the different technologies, through their corresponding implementation plans (IPs). These represent the SET Plan’s reference document in each field and ensure its alignment with key industrial developments.

Implementation of the actions

The 10 R&I actions are implemented by 14 Implementation Working Groups (IWGs), each of which focuses on a key technology. Spain, through the Ministry, is part of the Steering Committee of the SET Plan, which is the governance body of the initiative.Spain participates in all the IWGs and leads the one dedicated to concentrated solar energy.

The activities of each IWG benefit from the ongoing liaison and support of other EU R&I initiatives, such as:

• the European Technology and Innovation Platforms (ETIPs), where industry, research centres and academia work together to implement SET Plan priorities along the innovation chain and develop strategic research agendas;
• the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), which represents the research community and seeks to catalyse European energy research in line with the objectives defined by the SET Plan;
• the various Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs), financed under Horizon Europe, to support the IWGs in communication, dissemination and mutual learning activities;
• the European co-financed Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) and Driving Urban Transition Partnership (DUT), instruments that enable Member States to support the SET Plan with increased funding for transnational research and the Horizon Europe Programme.

Review of the SET Plan

On 20 October 2023, the Commission communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the review of the SET Plan was published.

This revision of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan is part of the new European energy context that, on the one hand, requires its adaptation to the strategic objectives of the energy transition marked by the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU Plan. On the other hand, it aims to highlight the importance of R&I in the objective of increasing the resilience, autonomy and competitiveness of the European energy system and its supply chains through the Green Deal Industrial Plan and its laws, the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Net-Zero Industry Act.

Moreover, the annual SET Plan conferences provide an opportunity for decision makers, stakeholders and researchers to assess the progress of the SET Plan and the latest developments in energy, research and innovation.

The conference follows the rotating presidency of the EU Council and takes place in the country concerned. These conferences last 2 days and EU representatives are expected to participate. In addition, they reflect the current state of energy policy and allow the creation of networks among the participants.

In November 2023, the 17th Conference of the SET Plan was organized in Spain, under the patronage of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in cooperation with the Directorates-General for Research and Innovation (R&I) and Energy (ENER) of the European Commission and the Joint Research Centre (JRC).