CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Organizers of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics said they are targeting clean electricity for the Games, betting that power procurement can reduce emissions from a major source of environmental impact at large events. The organizing committee said it expects virtually all of the electricity used for venues and for making snow will come from certified renewable sources, and it has described the effort as a way to show that cleaner energy solutions can work at this scale.
In a sustainability report from September, the organizing committee said Games-time electrical energy would be 100% green, fed by certified renewable sources. It added that in rare cases where temporary power generation is required, hydrotreated vegetable oil would be substituted for traditional diesel fuels, according to the report, which also positioned energy as a key area where the organizers could make the most meaningful impact.
The committee delivered a statement to The Associated Press ahead of the Games, describing the plan as a chance to support a broader shift for major events. “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 its statement. It said it hoped the steps for these Games would support ongoing progress across major events.
Enel, Italy’s largest electricity company, told the AP that it is supplying 85 gigawatt-hours of power for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The company said it bought “guarantee of origin” (GO) certificates on the market from renewable energy plants to cover the entire Games’ energy demand, using a European mechanism that corresponds to electricity generated from certified renewable sources.
GO certificates, created in 2001, are traded like other market instruments and are canceled after use so the same megawatt hour cannot be claimed twice, according to the description provided in the reporting. Enel said it has a commitment to cleanly powering the Games, framing the effort as translating sustainability and inclusion values into practical terms through technological innovation and environmental protection.
The plan has also faced skepticism. Matteo Villa, who leads the data lab at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, said the certificates are a “great way to promote your event,” but he argued they are not making Italy cleaner or more renewable. Villa added that the Games can only be as clean, or as sustainable, as the rest of Italy’s power system.
Enel said that nearly three-quarters of the electricity it produced in Italy in 2025 was carbon-free, based on preliminary full-year operational data. The company said about 50% came from hydropower, followed by 17% geothermal and less than 10% from wind, solar and other renewables, with the remainder mostly from gas-fired power plants. It also said it built new primary substations in Livigno and Arabba and expanded distribution infrastructure in the Livigno, Bormio and Cortina areas, work it said would benefit residents beyond the Games.
Organizers and the International Olympic Committee have also highlighted that energy use is only one part of the picture for winter sports sustainability. Julie Duffus, the IOC’s head of sustainability, told the AP that every Games aims to push innovation in sustainability, reduce overall impact and carbon footprint, and highlighted clean power, energy-system upgrades, and design choices meant to keep most venues existing or temporary.
Still, researchers and organizers have pointed to emissions outside direct venue control, particularly from transportation by athletes and spectators. The organizing committee said greenhouse gases expected from the Games are similar to emissions from 4 million average-sized gasoline-fueled cars driving from Paris to Rome, with the largest share of the footprint coming from activities indirectly related to the Games such as accommodations and spectator travel; it said air travel is a significant contributor because jet fuel releases carbon dioxide.
Di Castelnuovo said the Olympics will likely remain committed to clean energy, but that “the challenge lies somewhere else to make them greener,” referring to emissions organizers do not control directly, including those stemming from transportation. Karl Stoss, who chairs the Games’ Future Host Commission, has said the Games may need to eventually reduce the number of sports, athletes and spectators who attend, and multiple skiers have expressed concern about climate change accelerating melt of the world’s glaciers.