Google ordered to halt Finland data center work
Original: Google is illegaly cutting forest to build data centers
Why This Matters
Data center expansion is clashing with environmental law across Europe, setting regulatory precedents.
Finnish authorities told Google to suspend work at two data center sites in Muhos and Kajaani by Oct 23 after the company felled 330+ hectares of forest without completing required environmental impact assessments.
Google has been ordered to temporarily halt construction at two data center sites in Finland after failing to complete mandatory environmental impact assessments (EIAs) before beginning significant site preparation work. The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) issued the notice Tuesday, requiring Google's local entity, Tuike Finland Oy, to suspend all 'preparatory measures that significantly change the environment' by October 23 at the latest.
The two sites — in Muhos and Kajaani — are part of a broader €13 billion investment across northern Finland. In Muhos, the company had already cleared 330 hectares (815 acres) of forest. In Kajaani, logging covered nearly 200 hectares (494 acres). Beyond tree removal, Google also stripped topsoil and built site roads — all before the EIA process was complete.
LVV department head Tommi Muilu stated: '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.' Google has until next Wednesday to submit a written explanation. The EIA is still ongoing and expected to finish later this year.
The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation described the sites as reduced to 'sand,' attributing the compliance failures to an 'overheated' data center market driving companies to move faster than regulations allow.