Olympic Organizers Tout Clean Energy Commitment for 2026 Milan Cortina Games

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics has made an ambitious pledge to power its venues with nearly 100% clean electricity, part of a broader sustainability strategy that organizers describe as central to the Games’ environmental legacy.

The organizing committee has identified energy consumption as the area where they can make the most meaningful impact on reducing carbon emissions. Italy’s largest electricity company, Enel, has guaranteed the supply of certified renewable electricity for all event venues.

“This is also an opportunity to contribute to a broader shift — showing athletes, spectators and future host cities that cleaner energy solutions are increasingly viable for events of this scale,” the committee said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We hope the steps taken for these Games can support ongoing progress across major events.”

To fulfill this commitment, Enel has purchased “guarantee of origin” (GO) certificates to cover the 85 gigawatt-hours of power needed for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. These certificates, established in Europe in 2001, correspond to electricity produced from certified renewable sources, with each certificate representing 1 megawatt-hour of clean energy.

The certificates are traded on power markets, in negotiations between companies, or through brokers. Once used, they are canceled to prevent double-counting. The system aims to promote renewable energy development by helping companies meet their sustainability targets.

Enel stated that its commitment to providing clean energy for the Games “translates the values of sustainability and inclusion inherent in the Olympics into concrete terms, combining technological innovation and environmental protection.”

According to Enel’s preliminary data for 2025, nearly three-quarters of the electricity it produced in Italy last year was carbon-free. About 50% came from hydropower, 17% from geothermal, and less than 10% from wind, solar, and other renewables. The remainder was mostly generated by gas-fired power plants.

Northern Italy’s mountainous landscape makes it particularly suitable for hydropower generation. However, despite these regional advantages, Italy’s national grid still relies significantly on fossil fuels, according to data from the International Energy Agency.

As part of its Olympic commitment, Enel built new primary substations in Livigno and Arabba to distribute electricity throughout the region. The company also constructed and upgraded distribution infrastructure in the Livigno, Bormio, and Cortina areas, creating lasting benefits for local residents beyond the Games.

While many advocates consider GO certificates crucial for promoting global decarbonization, the system has critics. Matteo Villa, who leads the data lab at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, argues that while certificates are “a great way to promote your event,” they don’t necessarily make Italy cleaner or more renewable. The Games, he suggests, can only be as sustainable as Italy itself.

Matteo Di Castelnuovo, professor of energy economics at the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, believes that while the Olympics will remain committed to clean energy, “the challenge lies somewhere else to make them greener.” The more difficult issue for Olympic organizers, as for any business, is addressing emissions they don’t directly control, particularly those from transportation.

Indeed, the organizing committee estimates that the carbon footprint of the Games will be equivalent to the emissions of 4 million average-sized gasoline-fueled cars driving from Paris to Rome. The largest contributors are activities indirectly related to the Games, such as accommodations and spectator travel, with air travel being a particularly significant source of carbon dioxide emissions.

The scale of this challenge has prompted Karl Stoss, chair of the Games’ Future Host Commission, to suggest that future Olympics may need to reduce the number of sports, athletes, and spectators.

The climate issue has resonated with Olympic athletes themselves. Many skiers, including Team USA members Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, have expressed concern during the Games about how climate change is accelerating the melting of the world’s glaciers, threatening the future of winter sports.

As Winter Olympic host cities become increasingly scarce due to warming temperatures, the sustainability strategies implemented at Milan Cortina 2026 could provide valuable lessons for future Games organizers facing even greater climate challenges.