Finnish regulators have ordered a halt to the construction of two planned Google data centres in the northern towns of Muhos and Kajaani. The stoppage comes after the company removed trees and topsoil from more than 300 hectares of forest without presenting a mandatory environmental impact assessment, the Finnish Supervisory Agency (LVV) said on Tuesday.
Google, which announced a €13 billion ($15 billion) investment in Finland last month – its largest single outlay in Europe – said it had “fallen short of our own high standards in this instance” and will comply with the LVV’s guidance. The agency has demanded that any work likely to “significantly alter the environment” be suspended by 23 October and has asked Tuike Finland, the firm behind Google’s local projects, to explain its plans by 14 October or face enforcement proceedings.
Conservation groups, led by the chair of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, had already warned that nature sites should be preserved and had demanded a halt while the environmental merits were examined. A 22‑year power‑purchasing agreement with energy firm Fortum to supply up to half the capacity of the Loviisa nuclear plant was signed last month to support the expansion, but the new build will be subject to stricter environmental scrutiny.
Google said it had acted in good faith under the Forestry Act, had carried out nature surveys and had put measures in place to protect areas of high environmental value. The company also revealed plans to plant trees across 130 hectares in Muhos as part of its landscaping and biodiversity strategy.
The Finnish data‑centre boom is driven by the country’s cool climate and low‑carbon electricity, which help keep cooling costs down. Once construction resumes, the project is expected to create more than 37,000 jobs and inject an estimated €3.6 billion into Finland’s economy each year.
