Eni products, technologies support sustainability of 2026 Winter Olympic, Paralympic Games in Italy

Italy-based multinational supermajor Eni announced Dec. 23 that it is a premium partner of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, with the goal of supporting this major Italian event also through sustainability-related initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. 

Eni is targeting to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and for decades it has been investing in the research and development of technologies able to progressively contribute to the decarbonization of industrial processes and products, and to accelerate the transition towards alternative energies.  

These expertise, technologies and products are being made available to the games, starting with the energy carriers that will be used.  

Overall, more than 90 percent of the fuels that Eni, through Enilive, will supply to power the games will be derived from renewable feedstocks. 

HVO for mobility, electricity generation 

At its Venice and Gela biorefineries in Italy, Enilive produces hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel, mainly from waste and residues such as used cooking oils, animal fats and residues from the agri-food industry.  

HVOlution diesel is a pure HVO fuel, meaning it is not blended with fossil fuels, and is suitable for all diesel engines approved for its use—both for transport and electricity generation—as a replacement for conventional diesel.  

HVOlution is available at around 1,500 Enilive Stations in Italy. 

Arctic HVO biofuel 

For the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, at its Venice biorefinery Enilive produced an “arctic” HVO diesel featuring exceptional cold-performance properties and capable of ensuring full operability down to minus 28 degrees Celsius (minus 18.4 degrees Fahrenheit).  

This biofuel has been specifically developed to power a wide range of high-altitude applications, including buses used to transport Olympic-family athletes, national committees, federations and spectators, the vehicles used by the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, and the vehicles used for the set-up of competition venues such as snow groomers, as well as generator sets used for electricity production. 

For Milano Cortina 2026, around 250 electricity generators of varying power ratings and efficiency levels will be used, fueled by HVO diesel, contributing to a reduction in the games’ GHG emissions.  

The average GHG reduction has been calculated along the value chain, based on the feedstocks processed and on the intended uses for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, and ranges between 70 percent and 80 percent. 

Bio-LPG for the Olympic, Paralympic torches 

With the same attention towards a higher sustainability, Eni and Versalis, Eni’s chemical company, have developed the Olympic and Paralympic torches.  

These are the first torches in Olympic history to achieve the ReMade® Class A certification for the content of recycled material with which they were produced.  

Also, the burner—the technological heart of the torch that brings the flame to life—is fueled with bio-LPG produced at Enilive’s Gela biorefinery from 100 percent renewable feedstocks.  

The handle contains an insert made of XL ExtraLight®, an ultralight polymeric material produced by Finproject (a Versalis company) from a Versalis polymer containing 60 percent bionaphtha derived from renewable raw materials. 

The Olympic torch relay 

Eni is also a presenting partner of the Olympic torch relay, which began its journey in Rome on Dec. 6 and is lighting up several areas where Eni is present, before arriving in Milan Feb. 6.  

The torch relay represents an important opportunity to create moments of sharing among communities and local areas in which Eni and its subsidiaries operate.