Google has been ordered to temporarily stop work on two data centers in Finland after failing to carry out the necessary environmental impact assessments on its construction sites. It follows a complaint about the clearance of around 300 of hectares of forest.
The planned data centers, for which the tech giant bought land in 2024 in Muhos and Kajanni, are part of a €13bn project across multiple sites in northern Finland by the technology company amid huge demand for space to house online infrastructure.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency (LVV), which is responsible for environmental issues, said it had demanded that Tuike Finland, the 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 center projects in Muhos and Kajaani.”
The EIA is ongoing and expected to be completed later this year. But Google has gone ahead with preparatory measures, including removing trees, stripping topsoil and constructing site roads, LVV said. The head of LVV’s environment department, Tommi Muilu: “In our opinion, the measures in question will change the environment and cause impacts, the identification and assessment of which are among the key objectives of the EIA procedure.”
The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation has called for construction at the site to be halted, as has the Safety and Chemicals Agency, until the environmental impact assessment is completed.
In a statement to the BBC, Google said, “We understand the concerns and have fallen short of our own high standards in this instance, we acted in good faith under the Forestry Act, as we continue our long-term work in the region, we are advancing our landscaping and biodiversity plans, which include tree planting across 130 hectares at Muhos.”
Tuike Finland has until 14 October to provide an explanation to LVV.
Pictured: Google's Hamina data center
