On 6 October 2026, Finland’s Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) ordered Google to immediately suspend preparatory work on its planned data centres in Muhos and Kajaani, citing the company’s failure to carry out mandatory environmental impact assessments (EIAs). The LVV gave Google until 23 October to halt the activities and until the following Wednesday to provide a written explanation of the oversight.
The article notes that Google cleared forest at both the Muhos and Kajaani sites without completing required environmental impact assessments.
The authority said Google had already cleared 330 hectares (815 acres) of forest in Muhos and logged just under 200 hectares (494 acres) in Kajaani without completing the EIA. The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation described the Muhos site as reduced to “sand,” noting that the area had been turned into a monoculture plantation that lacks the biodiversity of natural forest.
The article states that Google cleared 330 hectares of forest in Muhos without completing the required environmental impact assessment, prompting the Finnish authorities to order a halt to construction.
Google responded that it understood the concerns, acknowledged it had fallen short of its own high standards, and pledged to study the LVV’s findings while advancing landscaping and biodiversity plans that include tree planting across 130 hectares at Muhos. The company said its EIA process remains ongoing and is expected to be completed later in 2026, and reiterated that its broader €13 billion investment in northern Finland aims to make Muhos a hub of the circular economy by recycling waste heat and reducing energy costs for local industries.
Google describes its broader €13 billion investment in northern Finland as aiming to make Muhos a hub of the circular economy, while its EIA process remains ongoing.