Finnish police open criminal probe into Google datacentre forest clearing

A criminal probe at a northern Finland site

Finnish police have opened a criminal investigation into possible breaches of environmental law at the construction site of a planned Google datacentre near Muhos, in northern Finland. Police allege that Tuike Finland Oy, which belongs to Google, stripped and drained 330 hectares (815 acres) of woodland before the required environmental impact assessments were finished. The force announced the probe in a statement on Thursday, 29 October, and no offence has been established so far.

“Based on preliminary information, there have been ambiguities and shortcomings in the drainage and water management at the construction site of Tuike Finland Oy's datacentre project.”

Police said the inquiry would examine these matters, among others, and the circumstances surrounding them.

Forest clearing and the earlier order

On 6 October the agency that supervises environmental permits and assessments ordered Google to stop "preparatory measures altering the environment" at Muhos and at Otanmäki, a second site about 100km south-east of it. Campaigners put the number of felled trees at 250,000 near Muhos and 150,000 at Otanmäki. Police have not published an official count of felled trees, so the campaigners' figures remain estimates. Google has said it began preparatory works based on its own reading of the permits needed under the current law. The work already carried out included tree felling, topsoil removal, road building, storage areas and changes to ditches and drainage systems.

Muhos250,000

Otanmäki150,000

Muhos

250000 trees

Otanmäki

150000 trees

Data from the article text

Google's response

Antti Järvinen, Google's country manager for Finland, has apologised for the forest clearings. He argued that the company had acted on its own reading of the law at the time. Google did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment, and Tuike could not be reached directly. Google has said its planned Finnish investments include datacentres, grid improvements, and clean energy and battery projects, which would support services such as Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube. Reports differ on the size of the programme: The Guardian gives the AI infrastructure project as €13bn (£11bn), while another report, citing Reuters, gives the Alphabet plan as $15bn.

Government backing and a wider debate

The Finnish government has backed the projects, and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in September, when Google's plans were announced, that attracting investment was a "top priority". Finnish authorities are weighing applications for 145 new datacentres at various stages of planning. The revelations about Google have fed a national debate over what such deals mean for communities, the environment and energy prices. Finland, with fewer than 6 million people and a size similar to Germany, has met less resistance to datacentre construction than some places, including the United States. Its cool climate, low-carbon electricity and government support have helped make it one of Europe's main destinations for datacentre investment.