Google Told to Halt Finland Datacenter Construction After Illegal Forest Clearing
Google has been ordered to temporarily stop construction on two datacenters in Finland after the company felled hundreds of hectares of forest without completing the required environmental impact assessments. The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) issued the notice on Tuesday, demanding Google "immediately suspend" preparatory work at the sites in Muhos and Kajaani by October 23 at the latest.
330 Hectares Gone
Tuike Finland Oy, the company representing Google, cleared 330 hectares (815 acres) of forest in Muhos without an environmental impact assessment (EIA). In Kajaani, logging covered just under 200 hectares (494 acres). The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation said the Muhos site has been reduced to "sand," with the forest completely gone.
The EIA process is still ongoing and expected to be completed later this year. But Google went ahead with "extensive preparatory measures" anyway, including removing trees, stripping topsoil, and building site roads, according to LVV.
A EUR 13 Billion Project
The two datacenters are part of a EUR 13 billion project across multiple sites in northern Finland. The scale reflects enormous demand for datacenter infrastructure, driven largely by AI and cloud computing growth. Finland is attractive for its cold climate, cheap energy, and abundant land, but the pace of construction is overwhelming local municipalities.
Tapani Veistola, chief operating officer at the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, called the malpractice across two sites a "systemic problem." He blamed the "overheated market situation" that pushes companies to move as fast as possible, combined with a lack of expertise in small municipalities to oversee these projects.
Google's Response
Google said in a statement that it "understands the concerns" and has "fallen short of our own high standards." The company claims it acted in good faith under the Forestry Act and ran nature surveys to protect high-value areas. Google also pointed to plans for tree planting across 130 hectares (321 acres) at Muhos as part of its biodiversity efforts.
If Google does not comply with the suspension order, LVV said it will consider enforcement proceedings and fines. Google has until next Wednesday to submit a written explanation.
The Bigger Picture
This is not the first time Big Tech has run afoul of environmental regulations in the rush to build datacenter capacity. The demand for AI infrastructure has created enormous pressure on rural communities across the Nordic countries. When a company can clear 815 acres of forest before anyone notices the paperwork is missing, the regulatory framework is clearly struggling to keep up with the pace of construction.