Cached at:
11/01/26, 03:46 PM
# Finland launches criminal investigation into Google’s clearing of forest for datacentre site
Source: [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/29/finland-criminal-investigation-google-clearing-forest-datacentre](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/29/finland-criminal-investigation-google-clearing-forest-datacentre)
Finnish police have launched a criminal investigation into possible breaches of the country’s environmental laws at the site of a planned Google datacentre in rural northern[Finland](https://www.theguardian.com/world/finland)\.
Authorities allege that Tuike Finland, a Google subsidiary,[cleared and drained 330 hectares \(815 acres\) of forest](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/oct/22/finland-google-felling-trees-datacentre)at the planned site in Muhos before environmental impact assessments required by Finnish law had been completed\.
In the northern Finnish town of Muhos, the forest has already been cut down on land acquired by Google, with excavators now clearing the ground and rumbling trucks shuttling back and forth to the construction area located next to major power lines\.Photograph: Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty ImagesLike other Nordic countries, Finland is attractive to tech companies seeking to build datacentres because of its relative geopolitical stability and abundance of land, but also because its cool climate should allow them to cut energy costs\.
“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,” Finnish police said in a statement on Thursday\.
“The criminal investigation will examine, among other things, circumstances related to these issues,” they added\.
Finnish authorities are considering applications for a total of 145 new datacentres at various stages of planning, including a €13bn \(£11bn\) artificial intelligence infrastructure project by[Google](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/google)that the US company has called its largest investment in Europe\.
[Map](https://interactive.guim.co.uk/uploader/embed/2026/10/finland-datacentresmap/giv-32554vzp3Rk27T9gc/)Earlier this month Finnish authorities ordered Google to suspend work at two sites – Muhos and Otanmäki, about 100km to the south\-east – after the company failed to complete environmental impact assessments before clearcutting the land\.
The Supervisory Agency \(LVV\), which oversees environmental permits and assessments, told Google to halt “preparatory measures altering the environment”\. Campaigners estimate 250,000 trees have been felled at Muhos and 150,000 at Otanmäki\.
Google’s clearcut area of about 200 hectares \(500 acres\) in Otanmäki, Finland\.Photograph: Jarno Artika/The GuardianGoogle’s Finland country manager, Antti Järvinen, has apologised for the forest clearings, but argued that the company had acted according to “the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time”\.
The Finnish government has encouraged the projects\. In September, when Google’s plans were announced, the prime minister, Petteri Orpo, said attracting investment was a “top priority” and the deal would “deliver lasting benefits”\.
But the revelations over Google’s alleged misconduct have sparked a national debate over what datacentre deals mean for communities, the environment and energy prices\. The issue could impact parliamentary elections due in April\.
More than 93,000 people have signed a petition demanding more datacentre regulation and compensation for environmental damage\. Experts say datacentres bring a limited number of local jobs, and benefits on a national level are minimal\.
“Really, for Finland, there are no benefits,” said Jussi Kangasharju, professor of computer science at University of Helsinki\. “They are international companies serving international customers\.[Datacentres](https://www.theguardian.com/world/datacentres)ultimately have little benefit for others except the datacentre operator\.”
A Google spokesperson said: “We’ve partnered closely with the government and communities in Finland on infrastructure for over a decade, and are actively responding to enquiries from LVV and other authorities\.”
The spokesperson said the company would “cooperate with the investigation announced by the Oulu police on 29 October, and continue to focus on maintaining compliance at our sites”\.