Authorities have ordered work stopped at two Google datacentre sites in northern Finland - Muhos and Kajaani - after finding the company failed to complete required environmental impact assessments (EIAs) before major preparatory works. Tuike Finland Oy, representing Google, has already cleared roughly 330 hectares at Muhos and nearly 200 hectares at Kajaani, stripping trees, topsoil and building access roads. The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) demanded an immediate suspension of “preparatory measures that significantly change the environment” and set deadlines for a written explanation and completion of the EIA, warning of enforcement action and fines if Google does not comply. The datacentres form part of a €13bn expansion across multiple northern sites driven by surging demand for cloud infrastructure.
Google acknowledged it had “fallen short of our own high standards,” saying it acted under the Forestry Act, conducted nature surveys and will follow LVV guidance while advancing landscaping and biodiversity plans, including planting trees across 130 hectares at Muhos. Conservation groups call the clearance a systemic problem, saying sites are reduced to “sand” and blaming an overheated datacentre market and overstretched municipalities for accelerated, poorly supervised construction. The EIA is underway and expected to conclude later this year.
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