Environmental organizations in Finland and elsewhere in the world are appalled by the catastrophic - and irreversible - intervention of Google, through its subsidiary, in a northern forest area, to prepare the site for the construction of a large data center, in support of the operation of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The issue is of great concern to the Finnish media, while it has recently been publicized throughout Europe, as the Finnish authorities were forced to intervene and ask the tech giant to freeze the work, until the issue is examined by the country's environmental agency. But as can be seen in the photo (of the Guardian), whatever the Department of the Environment or the Finnish Police decide, the damage to the environment has been done and cannot be repaired.
Extensive reports were published in Finnish media (starring the public broadcaster YLE), without being substantially refuted, while on October 22 the Guardian also dealt with on-the-spot coverage.
On October 6, 2026, the Finnish Licensing and Supervisory Authority (LVV) asked Google's subsidiary, Tuike Finland Oy, to immediately stop all work in the Muhos and Otanmäki – Kajaani areas (a total area of 5.28 square kilometers of forest).
Google has announced that work has been halted. He claimed that he had acted in good faith, based on the forest legislation. But LVV felt that the environmental assessment process should precede the ecosystem-disrupting work.
Google's efforts to create new Artificial Intelligence infrastructures were announced by it on September 9, 2026 and concern an investment program of at least 13 billion. for the period 2027-2028. The program includes data centers and supporting infrastructure in the districts of Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala. The company has already had facilities in Hamina since 2011. Google, according to Euronews, has pledged to plant trees on 130 hectares in Muhos.
Finnish police have announced that a preliminary investigation has been ordered for possible violations in the area. Finnish Environment Minister Sari Multala described the case as serious and acknowledged that the legislation does not allow for the immediate imposition of fines for omitting the prescribed environmental assessment.
Tuike Finland Oy's haste to cut down hundreds of thousands of trees (estimated by state television, the Guardian and other media at about 400,000 in total) before securing the required permits is confirmed by yle reports, which point out that even if the Licensing and Supervisory Authority does not prohibit the continuation of the work, Google and its subsidiary will have to apply to competent authorities for the issuance of individual permits before receiving final environmental approval. Under Finnish law, the permanent removal of forest vegetation on an area of at least 200 hectares (in this case we are talking about a total of 528 hectares) requires an environmental impact assessment procedure, which has not been done.
The catastrophic intervention in the environment became known on September 17, by Suomen Luonnonsuojeluliitto (SLL), one of the most important nature conservation organizations in Finland. The organization also submitted an official request to the authorities to stop the work, which was accepted on October 6. The organization's president, Hanna Halmeenpää, told the Guardian that she initially found it difficult to believe that such a large company had taken such action. He called Google's stance arrogant.
The Guardian writes that the citizens' initiative Datakeskukset Kuriin has already collected over 90 thousand signatures and is calling for stricter regulation of the construction of data centers and the imposition of a special fee on businesses for environmental impact.
Residents of the Muhos area, who spoke to the Guardian, express concern about the partial destruction of the forest, the possible deterioration of water quality, the destruction of habitats and the impact on wildlife.
