AIBRIEF
Finland's environmental regulator (LVV) says more than 300 hectares of forest were cleared at Muhos and Kajaani without a required environmental impact assessment.
Finland's environmental regulator has ordered a halt to preparatory work at two planned Google data-centre sites in Muhos and Kajaani, after more than 300 hectares of forest were cleared without a required environmental impact assessment.
The Finnish Supervisory Agency, known as LVV, told the BBC that tree and topsoil removal, site roads, and ditch changes fall under measures that "significantly alter the environment" and must be suspended by 23 October. The project operator, Tuike Finland, has until 14 October to set out how it intends to proceed or face enforcement proceedings.
The sites sit inside Google's at-least €13bn (£11bn; $15bn) investment in Finland for 2027–2028, which the company has called its largest single investment in Europe. The broader plan covers new facilities in Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala, plus expansion at the existing Hamina site, to support Search, Maps and Gemini.
Google told the BBC it "understand[s] the concerns and have fallen short of our own high standards in this instance," and said it acted in good faith under Finland's Forestry Act. The company pointed to landscaping and biodiversity plans including tree planting across 130 hectares at Muhos.
Hanna Halmeenpaa, chair of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, said "nature sites which should be preserved" had been felled. LVV's head of environment, Tommi Muilu, said the agency could begin enforcement proceedings if Tuike Finland does not respond.
The order is procedural: it pauses site preparation at two locations, not the wider €13bn programme, and turns on the operator's 14 October reply and the 23 October suspension deadline.