Google ordered to halt work on Finnish datacentres over environmental assessment failures

Finnish authorities have ordered Google to temporarily suspend construction on two major datacentre projects in Muhos and Kajaani. The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) issued the notice after discovering that the company had cleared hundreds of hectares of forest without completing mandatory environmental impact assessments (EIA). The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation criticized the move, describing the sites as having been reduced to sand and attributing the oversight to an overheated market for digital infrastructure. Google has acknowledged falling short of its standards and stated it will comply with the LVV’s guidance. The company maintains it acted in good faith under the Forestry Act and is currently working on biodiversity plans, including reforestation efforts. Google must provide a written explanation by next week, while the formal EIA process for the sites remains ongoing.