Google halts Finland data center work after 250,000 trees felled

Finnish authorities have ordered Google to pause construction at two planned data center sites after roughly 250,000 trees were felled illegally. The required environmental impact assessments had not been completed when the clearing took place, the regulator said.

At Muhos in northern Finland, a forest covering about 330 hectares has been reduced to a muddy expanse of ruts, puddles, soil heaps, roots and branches. The topsoil was stripped as well. Residents say brown water is seeping from the site into a stream that joins the Oulujoki river a few hundred meters away. The regulator's letter of 6 October also halted work at a second site in Kajaani.

Google apologizes, critics unconvinced

Google stopped work at both locations and apologized for the clearing. Finland head Antti Järvinen said days after the letter arrived that the company had acted on its understanding of the law at the time. Google says it will protect water quality at Muhos and plant trees on 130 hectares. Conservationists consider that too little to offset the damage already done.

Both sites are part of Google's €13 billion AI infrastructure project, the largest of its kind Finland has seen. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called attracting investment a "top priority" when the plans were presented last month and said the deal would bring "lasting benefits to both sides", even as the government pushes through deep spending cuts.

Resistance to data center boom grows

Finland has 145 new data centers in various planning stages, drawn by stable geopolitics and geology, plenty of land and a cool climate that can reduce energy costs. Opposition is growing, though. Critics fear harm to forests, waterways and wildlife, as well as noise and higher energy prices.

The unlawful clearing adds fuel to that debate. One woman living near a data center said she does not want Google there, nor in Finland at all, adding that she dislikes the whole idea of AI and how the world is changing.

Whether the projects can resume depends on the outcome of the outstanding environmental reviews.