Google Cleared 815 Acres of Finnish Forest Before Environmental Reviews Were Complete, Finland Suspends Work

Finland’s regulator has suspended specified preparatory work at two planned Google data center sites after about 330 hectares (815 acres) of forest were cleared before environmental impact assessments were complete. The agency has also requested a police investigation into the Muhos project and ordered Google’s Finnish subsidiary to provide further information about drainage risks.

Finland Suspends Work as Regulator Seeks Police Investigation

The Finnish Supervisory Agency (LVV) issued its suspension order on Oct. 6, requiring work covered by the order at the Muhos and Otanmäki sites near Kajaani to stop no later than Oct. 23 while the environmental impact assessments remain incomplete. Google’s Finnish subsidiary, Tuike Finland Oy, confirmed on Oct. 14 that the specified work would stop.

About 330 hectares of forest were cleared at Muhos, while just under 200 hectares were cleared at Otanmäki. Residents told The Guardian that wildlife had moved out of the affected forest and described wolves appearing near villages. Those accounts document local observations but do not establish the extent of ecological damage or prove that the clearance caused particular animal movements.

The police chronology remains unclear. A private individual requested an investigation on Oct. 2. Yle reported on Oct. 8, citing Iltalehti, that police had begun a preliminary assessment following that request. On Oct. 22, LVV said it had separately requested an investigation into the Muhos project. Subsequent reporting by Yle said police had not begun a preliminary assessment in response to either request at that point, leaving the status reported earlier unresolved. Neither a request nor a preliminary assessment establishes that a crime occurred.

Drainage Works Raise Concerns Over Water Quality

In an Oct. 22 notice, LVV said about nine kilometres of drainage ditches had been dug at the sites, most of them already completed. The agency said the required notification should have been filed at least 60 days before the work began.

LVV identified black shale and sulfide-bearing soil as potential concerns because exposure can contribute to acidic runoff. Monitoring results were consistent with possible acidification, and the agency warned that metal concentrations in drainage water could rise. These are identified risks, not a final finding about the extent of contamination.

The company must submit a detailed water-management plan by Nov. 5, including the proposed protective structures, their locations and construction schedule, and arrangements for independent water monitoring. LVV said the proposed use of liming and lime-filter dams had not demonstrated that the risks would be adequately controlled. The agency also requested information about maintenance, safety, environmental protection and the breeding and resting habitat of the moor frog.

The drainage works may separately require a permit under Finland’s Water Act. LVV said it could initiate enforcement proceedings requiring corrective measures under threat of a conditional fine. The notice does not constitute a final determination of criminal liability.

Regulator Reviews Its Own Handling of the Projects

LVV is also reviewing how it handled oversight of the projects and whether coordination among authorities could be improved. According to Yle, the agency learned of the work at Muhos in late August after an environmental office in the Oulu region raised concerns about possible effects on waterways.

LVV attended a site meeting on Aug. 27 and began its formal review on Sept. 18. The agency said it had not received earlier notification of the work from Google, the municipalities or the Finnish Forest Centre. That account describes the agency’s understanding of what it knew; it does not independently establish what every authority or official may have known.

The internal review concerns the regulator’s own handling of the matter. It is separate from the incomplete environmental impact assessments and does not itself establish wrongdoing by the agency or the company.

€13 Billion Investment Puts Projects in Wider Context

Google announced on Sept. 9 that it planned to invest at least €13 billion in Finnish digital infrastructure in 2027 and 2028, or about $15.1 billion using the European Central Bank’s Sept. 9 reference rate. The plans cover data center development and related infrastructure at sites including Hamina, Muhos, Vaala and Kajaani.

The company has also agreed to a 22-year power purchase agreement with Fortum covering up to 50% of the capacity of Finland’s Loviisa nuclear power plant. The agreement supports plans to extend the plant’s operation through 2050, linking Google’s Finnish expansion to long-term electricity supply.

Google has said it acted in good faith based on its understanding of Finnish law and communications with local building-control officials and other authorities. Muhos municipality said it had not issued formal permits for forest clearance. Google Finland country director Antti Järvinen apologized for the forest clearances at Muhos and Kajaani, according to Yle.

Google has proposed planting trees across 130 hectares at Muhos, equivalent to about 39% of the 330 hectares cleared there. The proposal does not establish how much of the original forest habitat could be restored. The Guardian reported criticism that replanting would not compensate fully for the loss of established forest.

Tuike’s next key deadline is Nov. 5, when it must submit the water-management plan and additional information requested by LVV. The regulator’s review of its own handling and its request for a police investigation remain separate from the environmental assessments, which have not yet been completed.