Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan)

The “European Strategic Energy Technology Plan” (SET Plan) is a key instrument for promoting the transition to a climate-neutral energy system, through the development of innovative, low-carbon and cost-competitive technologies.

Objectives

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

These objectives are achieved by:

• Assistance in the coordination of national research and innovation (R&I) activities to develop low carbon energies, 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 steps up cooperation between governments, industry and research centres to harness the use of R&I funding plans for clean energy. It is increasingly important that investments, both public and private, be channelled towards the technologies required 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 representatives from industry, research centres and non-governmental organisations, as well as national and regional authorities responsible for research, innovation, climate action and energy. They are tasked with identifying and defining the strategic objectives and R&I activities of the different technologies, through their corresponding implementation plans (IP). These represent the reference document of the SET Plan in each field and guarantee its alignment with key industrial developments.

Implementation of actions

The 10 R&I actions are implemented by 14 Implementation Working Groups (IWG), each focusing on a key technology. Spain, through the Ministry, is part of the Steering Committee of the SET Plan, which is the governing body of the initiative. Spain participates in all IWGs and heads up the group tasked with concentrated solar power.

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

• the European Technology and Innovation Platforms (ETIP), in which industry, research centres and the academic world join forces to implement the priorities of the SET Plan 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 different Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs), funded within the framework of Horizon Europe, to support IWGs in communication, dissemination and mutual learning activities;
• the co-funded European associations Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) and Driving Urban Transition Partnership (DUT), instruments that allow 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 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the revision of the strategic energy technology (SET) plan, was published.

This revision of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan is framed in the new European energy context, which, on the one hand, requires its adaptation to the strategic objectives of the energy transition set out in the European Green Deal and the RepowerEU Plan. On the other hand, it stresses the importance of R&I in the target 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.

The SET Plan conferences held annually provide an opportunity for decision makers, stakeholders and researchers to evaluate the progress of the SET Plan and the most recent developments in energy, research and innovation.

The conference follows the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU and is held in the corresponding country. These conferences last 2 days and EU representatives typically attend. In addition, they reflect on the current situation of energy policy and allow the creation of networks between participants.

In November 2023, the 17th SET Plan Conference, was organised in Spain, under 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).