Forest Clearance Investigation
Google’s latest data center construction project in Finland is being investigated after the company representing the search giant allegedly cleared over 300 hectares of forest. The reported issue is that Google’s local operator, Tuike Finland, cleared the 420 football fields' worth of trees without obtaining a mandatory environmental impact assessment beforehand.
Google sees Finland as an attractive European data center host country due to a number of favorable factors. The location offers a cool climate, plus stable and cheap energy supplies including nuclear, wind, and hydro. Moreover, Finland sees data centers as a solution to address current economic challenges such as slow growth and high unemployment levels.
Expansion Plans in Finland
This new development near Muhos, a small town with fewer than 9,000 residents, is not the first for Google in Finland. It already operates a facility in Hamina in the south, but hopes to expand in Muhos, Kajaani, and Vaala in the north. Overall, it is part of a 13-billion-euro investment plan in Finland over the next two years. Finland’s potential data center appeal has also attracted Microsoft and TikTok.
While local leadership looks forward to the massive investment and economic boom, residents and conservationists express concerns regarding the environment, energy supply stability, and rising energy prices.
Reports of trees felled and excavators clearing the ground before government agency approval have amplified those local concerns.
Conservationist Pushback
Operations at the construction site should be suspended until compliance with the law is verified, according to Hanna Halmeenpaa, chair of the board of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. Halmeenpaa stated that even some nature preservation areas had been logged and filed the suspension request with the conservation agency.
Google denies prematurely damaging the forest, stating that tree felling complied with Forestry Act requirements. A company communications manager also maintained that high-value nature zones within the sites were protected during forestry works.
With no reports indicating that preparation and construction work has ceased at the Muhos development site, Google appears to be moving forward with the project.
