Finnish police have opened a criminal investigation into suspected environmental law breaches at the site of a planned Google data centre in northern Finland, after forest was cleared and drained before legally required environmental impact assessments were complete.
The investigation, announced by police in Oulu on Thursday, October 29, centres on work carried out by Tuike Finland, a Finnish subsidiary of Google, near the town of Muhos. It is being treated as a case of suspected environmental degradation, and police say it will run into 2027.
The case has put a spotlight on the environmental cost of the global race to build artificial intelligence infrastructure, and on how quickly that building work is moving ahead of environmental checks in Europe.
Key Takeaways
- Finnish police are investigating whether Google’s subsidiary Tuike Finland cleared and drained forest at Muhos before environmental impact assessments were complete.
- The probe focuses on possible breaches of Finland’s Water Act, with police citing shortcomings in drainage and water management at the site.
- Finland’s environmental regulator had already ordered work halted at Muhos and a second site on October 6, and police expect to give an update in December.
What Police Are Investigating
According to police, the central question is whether the company’s operations breached Finland’s Water Act and resulted in environmental damage. Detective Superintendent Kari Pakanen told Reuters: “We are investigating whether the company’s operations have breached the water act and resulted in environmental damage.”
Pakanen said a guilty finding could lead to a corporate fine. He declined to say whether any individuals could become a target of the investigation, and he did not rule out further criminal classifications as the work continues.
Police said preliminary information showed ambiguities and shortcomings in drainage and water management at the Muhos site. An update is expected in December, but the investigation itself is expected to extend into 2027.
It is important to be clear about the status of the case: a police investigation does not mean a court has found wrongdoing, and no charges have been laid at this stage.
A police investigation does not mean a court has found wrongdoing, and no charges have been laid at this stage.
A $15 Billion Investment Under Scrutiny
The Muhos project is part of a plan announced last month by Google to invest $15 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure in Finland, which the company described as its largest investment in Europe. The scale of that commitment is one reason the case has drawn attention well beyond Finland.
Reports say about 330 hectares of forest were cleared at Muhos, and about 200 hectares at a second site at Otanmäki, near Kajaani. Environmental campaigners estimate that around 250,000 trees were felled at Muhos alone, with a further 150,000 at Otanmäki. Those tree figures are campaigners’ estimates, not official counts.
The growth of data centres across northern Europe has been driven by cheap, low-carbon electricity and cool climates, but the Finland case shows that local environmental rules can still stop a project in its tracks.
The Halt Order and the Second Site
Before the criminal investigation began, Finland’s Supervisory Agency, known as LVV, which oversees environmental permits and assessments, ordered Google on October 6 to halt preparatory measures altering the environment at Muhos as well as at the second site.
The regulator has since demanded a more detailed water management plan for the Muhos site. Reports say the regulator has warned that excavation and drainage there could release acidic, metal-contaminated water because of the area’s black shale deposits, and has asked for the plan by November.
The investigation was triggered by several investigation requests, including one from the Supervisory Agency itself, according to reports of the police announcement.
- 330 hectares of forest reported cleared at Muhos, and about 200 hectares at Otanmäki
- Work halted by Finland’s Supervisory Agency on October 6 at both sites
- Criminal probe announced October 29, with an update expected in December and the case running into 2027
- A guilty finding could lead to a corporate fine, police say; no charges have been laid
What Google Has Said
A Google spokesperson said the company would cooperate with the police investigation and continue to focus on maintaining compliance at its sites. According to reports, Google’s country manager in Finland, Antti Järvinen, has apologised for the forest clearing while defending the company’s understanding of the applicable legislation.
The company has not, in the reporting so far, disputed that clearing took place before the assessments were complete. The dispute now is over the legal consequences: whether the work breached the Water Act and caused environmental damage, and what penalty, if any, should follow.
The case also lands as governments everywhere weigh how to handle the infrastructure behind artificial intelligence. Google’s latest AI models depend on exactly this kind of computing capacity, and trusted artificial intelligence has become a shared talking point for governments as well as companies.
What to Watch Next
The next milestone is the police update expected in December, which should show whether the investigation is narrowing toward a charge or widening to new questions. The water management plan demanded by the regulator, due in November, will also show how the company plans to handle drainage at the Muhos site.
Beyond that, the case will run into 2027, and its outcome could shape how other large technology projects are planned in Finland and across northern Europe. For now, work at the two sites remains halted, the forest that was cleared cannot be restored quickly, and the legal question at the heart of the probe remains open.