Regulators found that the company carried out extensive land clearing with an an estimated 250,000 trees cut before completing legally required environmental impact assessments (EIA). Google has been ordered to halt key construction work at two planned AI data centre sites in Finland. The order affects Google’s projects in Muhos and Otanmäki, which form part of the company’s multibillion-euro AI infrastructure expansion in the Nordic country.
The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) directed Google’s local subsidiary, Tuike Finland Oy, to immediately suspend preparatory work that significantly alters the environment until the EIA process is completed. The order covers tree removal, excavation, topsoil stripping, road construction, drainage work and other major site preparation. Planning, surveying and soil studies may continue. Google acknowledged the controversy and apologized after the regulator’s decision.
Residents reported muddy runoff entering nearby waterways, according to The Guardian. Environmental groups and local residents argue the scale of the forest clearance has caused lasting ecological damage. Some locals also claimed animals displaced by the logging had begun entering nearby communities. The expansion includes projects in Hamina, Muhos, Kajaani and Vaala.
It has proposed biodiversity measures, including replanting trees across about 130 hectares at the Muhos site. Google announced earlier this year that it plans to invest about €13 billion (roughly $15 billion) in AI infrastructure across Finland through 2028.
Antti Järvinen, Google’s Finland manager, told The Guardian that the company had acted “on the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time. The company has also said it “fell short of our own high standards” and confirmed that preparatory work stopped after the LVV’s order. Google said it would fully comply with the regulator while continuing discussions with Finnish authorities.
