A Finnish authority on Tuesday ordered work halted at two of Google’s planned data center sites in the country until mandatory environmental impact assessments have been carried out.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency (LVV) demanded that Tuike Finland, a company representing Google, “immediately suspend, and no later than 23 October 2026, all preparatory measures that would significantly alter the environment in connection with the planned data centre projects in Muhos and Kajaani.”
Hundreds of hectares already cleared
The agency had been investigating whether forest had been cleared at the two sites without the required assessment. About 330 hectares at Muhos and just under 200 hectares at Kajaani had already been prepared, with trees removed, topsoil stripped, site roads and storage areas built and ditches altered. The chair of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation said nature sites that should have been preserved had been logged at the Muhos site.
Tuike Finland must explain the work and set out how it intends to proceed by Oct. 14. If it fails to comply, the agency could open enforcement proceedings.
Google’s biggest investment in Europe
Google announced a €13 billion ($15 billion) investment in digital infrastructure in Finland in September, describing the data center projects in the municipalities of Muhos, Vaala, Kajaani and Hamina as its single biggest investment in Europe. The company already operates a data center in Hamina.
