Google announces a €13 billion data center buildout in Finland, subject to investigation into 300-hectare forest removal and environmental impact concerns.

Google's planned €13 billion data center expansion in Finland has come under investigation after the company cleared approximately 300 hectares of forest without completing mandatory environmental impact assessments. In mid-September, the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation alleged that illegal logging had occurred at Google's sites in Muhos and Kajaani. On September 18, Finland's Licensing and Supervision Agency (LVV) formally requested reports from the municipality of Muhos, the city of Kajaani, and Tuike Finland Oy, the project manager, regarding permits, environmental procedures, and the measures taken at the sites.

Forestry operations began months before environmental impact assessments were finalized. The LVV confirmed that approximately 300 hectares of forest were felled for the Muhos project alone. Under Finnish law, landscape-changing work in areas covered by master plans—including tree felling and earthwork—requires a landscape work permit under the Building Act. Both Muhos and Kajaani have approved local plans, though these are under appeal at the administrative court, which triggers a building ban in the affected areas. The municipal building control authorities are responsible for ensuring compliance with construction law.

The LVV emphasized that the environmental impact assessment procedure is coordinated by the agency itself, and that the issuance of a reasoned conclusion is a critical document for subsequent permit processing.

Google's communications manager, Michiel Sallaets, denied any violation, stating that logging was conducted on Google-owned land "in full accordance with the requirements of the Forestry Act" and that profits from selective logging will be donated to local projects. Another company spokesperson, Sondre Ronander, told AFP that Google "conducted extensive nature surveys covering the entire area as part of the zoning and Environmental Impact Assessment processes, to ensure high-value nature zones within the sites have been protected during forestry works."

The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation and the Safety and Chemicals Agency have both called for construction to be halted until the environmental assessment is complete.

Google announced its Finnish expansion in early September 2026, committing €13 billion to digital infrastructure development there during 2027 and 2028. The company has operated in Finland since 2009, when it acquired and converted a former paper mill in Hamina into a seawater-cooled data center, which has been upgraded multiple times over 15 years. In 2022, Google purchased an additional 50 acres adjacent to the Hamina facility. More recently, in 2024, it acquired 1,400 hectares in Kajaani and Muhos from state-run forest agency Metsähallitus without disclosing development plans. In February 2026, Google further expanded its land portfolio with a 900-hectare acquisition in Vaala, earmarked for a potential data center project.