Finland Orders Google to Suspend New Data Centers After Contractors Pave Over Protected Forests

The Finnish Supervisory Agency has expressed outrage over Google's $15 billion data center projects, after discovering that company contractors had cleared over 330 hectares of government-protected forests in the Northern municipalities of Muhos and Kajaani. The Finnish Supervisory Agency demanded that Google-affiliate company Tuike Finland Oy immediately halt all preparatory measures that would significantly impact the environment, related to these two planned data center developments.

LVV accuses the contractor of clear-cutting 330 hectares in Muhos without completing a required environmental impact assessment, a necessary step for receiving approval. Google cleared an additional 200 hectares for its Kajaani data center, though it remains uncertain if this logging was legally approved. Google has been given only a week to explain its actions to Finnish officials, according to the Guardian.

In a statement to AFP, a Google spokesperson, Sondre Ronander, admitted that the company had failed to meet its own high standards, stating that they understand the concerns and are studying the LVV's findings. Tommi Muilu, head of the environmental department at the LVV, told AFP that Google has not only cut down hundreds of acres of trees, but has also stripped topsoil, constructed roads and storage areas, and altered drainage systems.