Finland halts two Google data-centre sites over missing environmental review

Finnish authorities have suspended construction work at two sites where Google plans to build data centres, Kommersant, CNews and Habr News reported. The state licensing and supervision agency LVV said the work was carried out without the mandatory environmental impact assessment, Kommersant reported, citing the BBC. Kommersant said the works are halted at least until 23 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

CNews identified the two sites as Muhos and Kajaani, part of a larger Google project in northern Finland, and said the company Tuike Finland Oy, representing Google's interests, had already felled trees, removed topsoil and built access roads. According to LVV, just under 200 hectares were cleared in Kajaani, CNews reported. Kommersant listed Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala as locations of new data centres, alongside an expansion of an existing facility in Hamina. [ 1 , 2 ]

The documents differ on how much forest was cleared. Kommersant and Habr News said more than 300 hectares were felled at the sites. CNews said in its lead that 500 hectares had been felled, and elsewhere reported 330 hectares at Muhos and just under 200 hectares at Kajaani, citing LVV. Hanna Halmeenpää, head of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, told The Guardian that more than 300 hectares were felled at the Muhos site, including areas that should have been preserved; the association said the sites had turned into a desert. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

Google acknowledged that it “did not meet its own high standards” and promised to follow the authorities' instructions, Kommersant reported. Finnish environmental organisations had earlier called for the work to be stopped, the same report said. [ 1 ]

The two sites are part of a €13bn investment programme in Finland that all three documents mention. Kommersant said the investment was announced for 2027–2028; CNews said it was announced in September 2026 and runs to 2029, describing it as Google's largest single investment in Europe and valuing it at $14.6bn. Kommersant reported the initial construction phase would create more than 37,000 jobs and add €3.6bn a year to Finland's GDP. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

Kommersant, citing the BBC, said Finland is an attractive location for data centres because its cool climate helps cool infrastructure naturally and reduce energy consumption. The report said Google has concluded a 22-year agreement to support operation of the Loviisa nuclear plant, develops onshore wind power and uses battery systems at its Finnish sites, and that excess heat from the Hamina data centre already covers up to 80% of the city's heating needs. [ 1 ]