Ireland hosts the 20th European SET Plan conference in Cork, focused on energy costs and clean technologies

Irish Minister of State Dooley opened the 20th conference of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) at Cork City Hall on 4 November, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment announced. The conference, held on 4 and 5 November, is co-organised with the European Commission and is part of the events of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the EU, which runs until 31 December.

What the SET Plan is. According to the European Commission, the SET Plan is the EU's overarching platform to align and accelerate innovation and market uptake across 15 strategic energy technologies. This year's edition is dedicated to the competitiveness and sovereignty of European energy technologies and marks two decades of conferences.

The agenda. Sessions cover reducing energy costs through clean technologies, transforming the energy system, non-fossil flexibility, industrial decarbonisation, offshore energy, clean energy manufacturing in Europe, sustainable heating and cooling, and the role of artificial intelligence. The conference was preceded on 3 November by a high-level meeting of the SET Plan Steering Group, bringing together representatives of energy and research ministries.

The minister's message. "Europe faces the challenge of delivering an energy system that is cleaner, more affordable, more competitive and more secure, while strengthening our technological sovereignty and industrial resilience," Dooley said, according to the text of the speech published by the department. "The challenge is to ensure that European innovation translates into European industrial success."

What comes next. For the afternoon of 5 November, the Irish Presidency has organised site visits to showcase Ireland's achievements in clean energy. The plenary sessions are being streamed live, and recordings will be published after the event, according to the Commission.

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