What changed
Finnish authorities have ordered work to stop at Google’s planned data-centre sites in Muhos and Kajaani after finding that work at one site went ahead without a mandatory environmental impact assessment. Preparatory work included clearing trees and topsoil, building roads and storage areas, and altering ditches. Tuike Finland must explain how it will proceed by 14 October, while the specified work must be suspended by 23 October.
Why it matters
The order puts a legal and environmental checkpoint in the middle of Google’s biggest single European investment: at least €13bn in Finland during 2027 and 2028. The expansion includes new centres in Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala, plus investment at the existing Hamina facility. Google says the construction phase would support more than 37,000 jobs and add an average of €3.6bn a year to Finland’s economy.
Google has acknowledged that it fell short of its own standards and says it will follow the agency’s guidance. It also says it carried out nature surveys, protected areas of high environmental value and plans tree planting across 130 hectares at Muhos.
That leaves the immediate issue narrower than the whole investment: whether the affected preparatory work can resume under the required environmental process. If Tuike Finland does not comply, the Finnish Supervisory Agency says enforcement proceedings could follow. It is not yet clear whether the halt will alter the investment’s timetable or scope.
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