Colbún secures four-year renewable power contract with Chilean Olympic Committee through 2028 Los Angeles Games

Colbún will supply 1,027 GWh annually of renewable electricity to the Marlene Ahrens Olympic Training Center in Ñuñoa over a four-year period, though conflicting figures in source documents list the volume as 650 MWh per year. The Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico operates across more than 25,000 square meters and serves 38 Chilean sports federations with two multi-sport facilities accommodating over 4,000 spectators and residential capacity for 100 athletes. The facility received recognition in 2023 as Latin America’s first sustainable Olympic training center after implementing comprehensive waste management systems that have processed 109.5 tonnes of recyclable materials.

The partnership’s second component involves installing solar panel arrays at the Curauma Olympic Training Center in Valparaíso Region, generating on-site renewable power for rowing and canoeing athletes who live and train at the facility. The third pillar addresses competitive travel emissions, with Colbún measuring and neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions from Team Chile’s international trips and domestic sporting events throughout the Olympic cycle. The carbon offset program targets approximately 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, achieved through carbon credits from Colbún’s renewable energy facilities. This volume equals removing over 500 vehicles from circulation or planting 19,000 trees.

José Ignacio Escobar, Colbún’s chief executive, stated the company aims to make athletic success align with environmental performance by providing 100 percent renewable energy to training infrastructure while neutralizing travel emissions. Miguel Ángel Mujica, president of Chile’s Olympic Committee, described the arrangement as a model for private sector engagement with national sports programs. Eight Chilean athletes across disciplines including karate, cycling, hockey, artistic swimming, wrestling, mountain biking, and water skiing will serve as ambassadors for climate awareness and renewable energy campaigns.

Colbún previously neutralized emissions for the 2023 Santiago Pan American and Parapan American Games, Chilean rugby team travel to France’s World Cup, Santiago and Viña del Mar marathons, Pucón’s Ironman 70.3 event, and Chile’s delegation to Paris 2024, offsetting 925 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent for the latter. The Chilean government through Sports Undersecretary Andrés Otero endorsed the public-private collaboration as strengthening high-performance athletic development while advancing energy efficiency objectives.