Finnish regulator orders halt to environmentally significant preparatory works at Google-linked data-center projects
DataNews Editorial Team
Finland’s licensing and supervisory authority has ordered Tuike Finland Oy, a Google entity, to suspend preparatory works at data-center projects in Muhos and Kajaani that could materially alter the environment until required environmental-assessment procedures are completed. Finnish police have also opened a preliminary review of work at the Muhos site.
- The order suspends environmentally significant preparatory works; it does not confirm cancellation of the projects.
- The action applies to projects in Muhos and Kajaani, while reported forest impacts also include the Otanmäki site.
- Reported land impacts total about 530 hectares across Muhos and Otanmäki.
- Google’s approximately €13 billion investment plan is for Finland’s digital infrastructure overall, not a stated budget for the individual sites.
- The case highlights permitting, land-use and community-risk exposure in large AI data-center development.
Finland’s licensing and supervisory authority has directed Tuike Finland Oy, a Google entity, to halt preparatory work at data-center projects in Muhos and Kajaani where the activity could substantially alter the environment. The work must remain suspended until the required environmental-assessment procedures have been completed.
The order concerns preparatory activity rather than a confirmed cancellation of the projects. Finnish police are conducting a preliminary review of work in Muhos; this does not establish a violation or imply a criminal conviction.
The regulatory action follows extensive forest clearance associated with the projects. Environmental estimates cited in the underlying reporting put cleared land at approximately 330 hectares in Muhos, involving an estimated 250,000 trees. At Otanmäki, around 200 hectares of forest were affected, with an estimated 150,000 trees removed. The two sites together account for roughly 530 hectares of affected land, or about 1,300 acres.
Google had previously announced plans to invest about €13 billion in Finland’s digital infrastructure over the following two years. That figure applies to the country-level digital-infrastructure programme, rather than to the individual Muhos, Otanmäki or Kajaani sites. Google has apologised, said it intends to comply with the regulator’s requirements, and proposed planting trees on approximately 130 hectares in Muhos.
The projects have also become a focal point for wider public scrutiny of data-center development. More than 93,000 people have signed a citizens’ initiative calling for tighter data-center regulation and compensation for environmental and resource impacts on local communities.
For data-center developers, the case could indicate that project schedules for AI infrastructure can be constrained by permitting and land-use processes as well as site and power availability. Bringing environmental assessment, land-use planning and local-community engagement forward in the development cycle could reduce exposure to regulatory delays, additional mitigation costs and reputational risk.
The intervention illustrates how environmental permitting, land-use scrutiny and local opposition can constrain AI data-center development even in markets viewed as attractive for infrastructure deployment. For hyperscalers and operators, it suggests that environmental assessment and community engagement may need to be addressed earlier in site development, alongside power and land availability.
- — / October 25, 2026 · ChineseSource →
This article was prepared by the DataNews editorial team based on the sources listed above.