Police in Finland investigate Google over unapproved forest cutting for datacentre

The Investigation

Finnish police have opened a criminal investigation into Google after the company cleared 330 hectares of forest for a planned datacentre without completing required environmental checks. Authorities claim that Tuike Finland, a Google subsidiary, cut down trees and drained land in the rural northern town of Muhos before finishing the legally mandated impact assessments. Police pointed out that preliminary checks show shortcomings and ambiguities in water management at the site.

Halting Work

Earlier this month, regulators ordered Google to pause preparatory work at both the Muhos site and another location in Otanmäki, about 100 kilometres to the south-east. Campaigners estimate that 250,000 trees were felled at Muhos, with another 150,000 cut down at Otanmäki. Google's Finland country manager, Antti Järvinen, has issued an apology for the clearings, stating the company acted based on its best understanding of the law at the time.

Public Reaction

The unapproved forest clearing has triggered strong anger and a national debate across Finland about the true value of massive tech investments. Over 93,000 people have signed a petition calling for stricter rules on datacentres and compensation for harm done to nature. Jussi Kangasharju, a computer science professor at the University of Helsinki, argues that these facilities offer very few benefits to local communities because they mainly serve international customers.

Context

Nordic countries like Finland have become popular spots for large technology companies to build energy-hungry datacentres because cold weather helps lower cooling costs. At the same time, the Finnish government has pushed hard to attract foreign investment to boost the national economy.