Finland Halts Work at Two Google Data-Centre Sites

BBC Technology reported that Finland’s environmental supervisor has ordered a work stoppage at two planned Google data-centre sites after forest clearance and early ground preparation triggered permitting concerns.

The decision covers the planned Muhos and Kajaani locations, both tied to Google’s €13 billion investment programme in Finland.

The Finnish Supervisory Agency, known as LVV, concluded that one site lacked a required environmental impact assessment and set a 23 October stop date for activities that would materially change the local environment.

The dispute centres on preparations that began before the assessment question was resolved.

LVV’s head of environment, Tommi Muilu, identified cleared trees, stripped topsoil, temporary roads, storage zones and altered ditches among the work already carried out at the locations.

Tuike Finland, the company handling the data-centre projects, now has until 14 October to tell the regulator what it plans to do next.

Noncompliance could move the matter into enforcement proceedings.

Environmental groups had urged a pause while the permitting requirements were reviewed.

Hanna Halmeenpaa, who chairs the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, told AFP that protected natural areas had been cut down, and the organisation had pushed for work to stop before LVV issued its order.

Google accepted that the project had not met its own standard in this case and told the BBC it understood the concerns.

The company said it would follow the agency’s guidance rather than challenge the halt.

Its defence rests on the steps it says were already taken.

Google said it acted in good faith under Finland’s Forestry Act, completed nature surveys and introduced protections for areas with high environmental value.

The regional plan also includes landscaping and biodiversity work, including tree planting across 130 hectares at Muhos.

The regulatory pause arrived less than a month after Google announced at least €13 billion of Finnish spending across 2027 and 2028, describing the package as its largest single investment in Europe.

The programme includes new data centres in Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala, plus additional investment at Google’s existing Hamina facility.

Google has linked the infrastructure to demand for Search, Maps and Gemini, its AI assistant.

The company expects construction work in 2027 and 2028 to support more than 37,000 jobs and contribute an average of €3.6 billion a year to Finland’s economy.

Power supply is part of the expansion plan.

Google signed a 22-year power purchase agreement with Finnish energy company Fortum for capacity from the Loviisa nuclear plant, and Fortum framed the deal as support for keeping the plant operating until 2050.

Finland remains attractive to data-centre developers because of its cool climate and low-carbon electricity, but the LVV order makes the next step procedural: Tuike Finland must answer the regulator before the halted work can proceed.