Google cleared approximately 330 hectares of forest at a planned data centre site in northern Finland before its environmental impact assessment was complete. Another area of just under 200 hectares was cleared at a second site.
The work continued for months before Finland's supervisory authority intervened in October 2026. Google says it believed the work was permitted after discussions with officials. The regulator says the company remained responsible for complying with environmental assessment law.
The dispute centres on what different authorities knew, what they told Google and when they acted. Their accounts differ on a key meeting held weeks before the stop-work notice.
What Permission Did Google Have?
The sites at Muhos and Kajaani are part of Google's wider €13 billion (£11 billion) investment in Finnish digital infrastructure. The assessments for both projects were still incomplete when the Finnish Supervisory Agency, known as LVV, intervened.
For two new data centers in Finland, Google cleared approximately 250,000 trees in one instance and another 150,000 trees—amounting to over 500 hectares of forest—in another, all without obtaining the necessary permits. https://t.co/SA6ivWMk4M
— cvetko35 (@cvetko35) October 23, 2026
Google told LVV that logging began at Muhos in early March, after it submitted a forest-use notification to the Finnish Forest Centre. The company said it believed forestry and building rules allowed work to proceed while the environmental assessment was under way, Yle reported.
According to Google's account, Muhos building control approved certain preparatory activities on 5 June under Finland's Building Act. The company said the proposed work included stripping topsoil, building access roads, drainage and excavation.
Google also said it explained the scale of the work to municipal officials on 16 June. It said building control confirmed in writing that the notified work could begin on 23 June.
But Yle reported that Google had separately sought a landscape work permit from Muhos and had not received it. LVV had also told Google that an environmental impact assessment was needed for the Muhos project.
LVV's position is that the company could not rely on forestry rules alone to carry out the extensive clearing while the assessments remained unfinished.
What Did the Regulator Know?
LVV told Yle that it learned about the clearing and other work at Muhos during a site meeting on 27 August. The meeting followed a warning from local environmental officials about possible effects on water near the site.
Google and LVV give different accounts of what happened at that meeting. Google said officials raised no objection to the planned work continuing. LVV said its representative pointed out that work had been carried out that should not yet have been done because the environmental assessment was incomplete.
The agency began a formal inquiry on 18 September, requesting explanations from Google and the municipalities. On 6 October, it told Google's subsidiary, Tuike Finland, to suspend preparatory measures that significantly altered the environment at both sites.
LVV told Yle it had carried out background work before its formal inquiry and needed to assess the overall situation. It also said the Forest Centre did not automatically pass notifications to it simply because a large area was being logged.
The regulator is reviewing its own handling of the case, including whether its supervision could be improved.
Why Did Work Stop?
LVV's 6 October notice required Tuike to stop the environmentally significant preparations immediately, and by 23 October at the latest. The restrictions included tree removal, excavation, drainage, topsoil stripping and construction of site roads.
The agency said the suspension would remain in place until the environmental impact assessments were complete. In a response submitted on 14 October, Tuike said it had stopped preparatory work at both sites, according to LVV.
Google's Finland country manager, Antti Järvinen, apologised for the situation. He said the company and its subsidiary had acted according to their best understanding of the law and had worked with authorities and experts.
What Happens Next?
LVV has raised a separate concern about drainage at Muhos. The agency said Tuike's notification showed that most of approximately nine kilometres of planned ditches had already been dug.
Monitoring results supplied by the company showed changes suggesting acidification, LVV said. The regulator warned that disturbing sulphide-bearing soil could increase the acidity and metal content of runoff. It did not establish in its statement that this had caused damage to nearby waterways.
The agency says Tuike must seek a water-law permit for the drainage works and submit a detailed water-management plan by 5 November. It may consider enforcement measures, including the threat of a conditional fine, if necessary action is not taken.
LVV has also asked police to investigate the Muhos project. That request does not establish that a crime occurred. The regulator's review of its own oversight and the continuing environmental assessments will shape what happens to the two sites next.
