Successful Belgian Presidency conference on the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan)

The SET-Plan is Europe’s strategy to accelerate the development and deployment of a world-class portfolio of low-carbon technologies. It sets out a long-term energy research, demonstration and innovation agenda for Europe and a new model of focused cooperation in the energy technology area between all research institutes, companies and governments of the European Member States and regions.

At the two-day conference, high-level speakers presented an overview of the progress of the implementation of the SET-Plan, especially the realisation so far with regard to the set-up of the European Industrial Initiatives (EIIs) and the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA).

The EIIs aim to strengthen industrial energy research, demonstration and innovation in key energy technology sectors via innovative public-private cooperation implementing a technology specific Research, Development and Demonstration Programme. The first four EIIs in the sectors of Wind, Solar, Electricity Grids, CO2 Capture, Transport and Storage were launched in June 2010.

On the first day of the conference, the next two Initiatives were launched in the areas of bioenergy and sustainable nuclear energy.

The objective of the European Industrial Initiative on Bioenergy is to cover at least 14% of the European energy mix and 10% of EU transportation by 2020. Thirty demonstration and flagship initiatives in promising innovative bioenergy value chains are necessary to accelerate its commercial deployment.  

The European Industrial Initiative on Sustainable Nuclear Energy aims for the commercial deployment of the next generation of nuclear energy systems “Generation IV reactors” by 2040. The research, development and construction of prototypes will be conducted in the next ten years. The Belgian research infrastructure MYRRHA from SCK•CEN (Belgian Nuclear Research Centre) supports the European Nuclear Initiative. This infrastructure is unique in the world for studies on treating nuclear waste, on materials and fuels for fission systems and on materials for fusion.

Furthermore, the conference offered a state of play with regard to the Industrial Initiative Smart Cities. The Joint Technology Initiative on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells presented the progress and state of play of its activities.

The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) also launched three new joint energy research programmes on the occasion of the SET-Plan event. The new joint programmes cover Carbon Capture and Storage, New Materials for Nuclear and Bioenergy. Following the launch of the first four JPs in June this year, EERA continues its objectives to strengthen, expand and optimise EU energy research capabilities through the joint realisation of Pan-European research programmes, as conceived in the SET-Plan. Finally, the European University Association (EUA) launched the ‘European Platform of Universities engaged in Energy Research’ (EPUE).

International approach is vital

The second day of the conference focused specifically on the need to develop a coherent European approach for the international cooperation dimension within the SET-Plan. The major challenges of society neither stop at national borders nor at European, but are global. The objective of the second day was to learn how membership of international organisations can benefit the SET-Plan, both in terms of facilitating international cooperation in the SET-Plan and improving coordination of EU actions with international organisations. Furthermore, best practices of international cooperation on EU, Member State and industry level were presented.

The fourth SET-Plan conference stressed the sense of urgency to start with the concrete implementation of joint actions and projects in the SET-plan via a stronger cooperation and coordination of the science, technology and innovation efforts of all Member States and regions in Europe and the need to develop an international Science & Technology cooperation dimension as an integral part of the SET-Plan.

The SET-Plan conference 2010 builds on earlier editions. This fourth edition was organised as a Belgian EU Presidency event by the Flemish Department of Economy, Science and Innovation in close cooperation with the European Commission.

Please visit the conference website www.setplan2010.be for the Joint Statement on the launch of the European Industrial Bioenergy Initiative and European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative, and for all presentations at the conference.