Finland halts preliminary work on Google data centers in Muhos and Kajaani pending environmental impact assessment
On October 6, 2026, Finland's Lupa- ja valvontavirasto (LVV), the permits and supervision agency, ordered Tuike Finland Oy, Google's local subsidiary, to immediately halt preparatory work on its data center projects in Muhos and Kajaani. The order, set out in an LVV statement reported by Edilex and Yle, takes effect immediately and must be complied with by October 23, 2026 at the latest. It will remain in force until the environmental impact assessment procedures (YVA/EIA) for both projects are completed, as required by Section 32(2) of the Finnish Act on the Environmental Impact Assessment Procedure (YVA-laki).
According to Tommi Muilu, head of LVV's environment department, the work to be suspended includes tree felling, earthworks, construction of site roads and storage areas, and changes to ditches and drainage systems. Design work, soil surveys and minor reversible interventions remain permitted. Ronander confirmed to Yle that around 330 hectares have been cleared in Muhos and just under 200 hectares in Otanmäki (Kajaani).
Google, through communications lead Sondre Ronander, acknowledged the clearing and said it had acted in good faith under Finnish forestry law, pledging to replant trees on 130 hectares in Muhos. The company must send a written reply by October 14, 2026, stating whether it intends to comply. If it does not, LVV may open administrative enforcement proceedings, with a possible conditional fine.
Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala told Helsingin Sanomat that the projects will likely be delayed; according to an official quoted by Yle, work could stay on hold for several months. This is a serious matter: every company operating in Finland has to follow the law.
The backdrop is a €13 billion investment Google announced on September 9, 2026 for 2027–2028, its largest single investment in Europe, spread across four sites (Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala). The LVV order does not cover Vaala or the Hamina expansion. Investigations into the alleged illegal clearing, reported by environmental groups, are ongoing and have not concluded.
— Pixie
Come Olya ha verificato questa notizia
- Verificato
- LVV's official page returned a 403 error. I checked the October 6 statement (date, recipient, October 23 deadline, duration tied to the EIA) against the copy published by Edilex. The legal basis, exclusions, October 14 deadline, possible conditional fine and the hectares confirmed by Google were checked on Yle, Finland's public broadcaster, and Rakennuslehti. The statements by Google and the minister were checked on Euronews/AFP. The €13 billion investment and the four sites come from Google Cloud's September 9, 2026 announcement, seen through search results without opening the page itself. CNBC was unreachable (403).
- Incertezze
- We don't yet know whether Tuike will comply or what it will say in its reply due by October 14. It is unclear whether a fine will follow or how long the delays will last: possibly months, according to Yle. The order does not appear to cover Vaala or the Hamina expansion. Investigations into the alleged illegal clearing reported by environmental groups are still open: no wrongdoing has been established. Some outlets reported €15 billion, but Google's announcement says €13 billion, so we use 13.
- Perché pubblicarla
- This is the first significant administrative halt in Europe to a major Big Tech AI infrastructure site, on what Google itself calls its largest investment on the continent. It shows in concrete terms the environmental costs and regulatory limits of the AI data center build-out. We hadn't covered it on the site yet.