Finland launches criminal probe of suspected environmental damage by Google
The US tech giant is investing $15bn in a huge new data centre project in northern Finland.
The Finnish police have launched a criminal investigation into potential environmental law breaches at Google's planned Muhos data centre project in northern Finland. Authorities received five separate requests to probe the company after the project was ordered to be halted earlier this month, pending environmental assessments. The police found "ambiguities and shortcomings" in ditching and water management at the site, raising concerns about potential environmental damage.
Should the investigation find the company guilty, it could lead to corporate fines. The criminal probe follows an order from the Finnish licensing authority to suspend preparatory work at the Muhos and Kajaani-Otanmäki projects due to pending environmental assessments. Detective Superintendent Kari Pakanen stated that the ongoing pre-trial investigation is expected to conclude next year.
This investigation comes amid Google's €13bn commitment to Finland, which includes several planned data centres and around 16,000 jobs in construction. The company also announced environmental initiatives, such as funding clean energy and nature restoration projects. However, Google was recently accused of illegally stripping 330 hectares of forest near Muhos for its data centre project.
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- Finnish police suspect environmental failings at Google data centre site siliconrepublic.com
