Finland Halts Google Work At Two Data Centre Sites

What The Finnish Agency Demanded

On 6 October 2026 the Finnish Supervisory Agency, known as LVV, called on Tuike Finland Oy, the Google subsidiary behind the projects, to suspend immediately and by 23 October at the latest all preparatory work that significantly alters the environment at the planned data centre sites in Muhos and Kajaani. The suspension holds until the environmental impact assessment procedures are completed, and the basis is section 32 of Finland's EIA Act.

The demand covers tree removal, topsoil removal, excavation, quarrying, crushing, moving soil, ditching and building site roads and storage areas. It does not cover planning, measurements, soil surveys or other minor measures that are easy to reverse, according to the agency's release.

Tuike Finland must also say in writing by 14 October whether it intends to comply. If it does not, LVV says it will consider administrative enforcement, which can be backed by a conditional fine, and it prefers that the company puts the situation right voluntarily.

What Had Already Been Cleared

LVV says that, on the information it has, large-scale preparatory work has already been done at the sites: tree removal, topsoil stripping, site roads and storage areas, changes to ditches and culverts and stormwater arrangements. Its environment head Tommi Muilu said these measures change the environment, and that identifying and assessing their effects is a core aim of the EIA procedure.

The agency's reasoning is about order of events. Large-scale work before the assessment ends can weaken its steering effect and narrow the chance to examine alternatives and prevent harm, Muilu said. AFP reported that the chair of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, Hanna Halmeenpaa, said nature sites that should be preserved had been logged in a cleared area of more than 300 hectares at Muhos.

Google told the BBC that it understands the concerns and has fallen short of its own high standards in this instance, and that it will follow the agency's guidance. It also said it acted in good faith under the Forestry Act, ran nature surveys and is advancing biodiversity plans that include tree planting across 130 hectares at Muhos.

Against A Record 13 Billion Euro Plan

The BBC says the sites belong to Google's record 13 billion euro investment in Finland, announced less than a month earlier and described by Google as its largest single investment in Europe. The plan covers 2027 and 2028 and names new data centres in Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala alongside the existing Hamina facility.

Google says the construction phase would support more than 37,000 jobs and add an average of 3.6 billion euros a year to the Finnish economy, according to the BBC. Those are Google's figures, not independent estimates.

Finland's Minister of the Environment and Climate, Sari Multala, told Helsingin Sanomat the projects will likely be delayed because of the problems with the assessments. She called it a serious matter and said all companies operating in Finland must comply with the law, AFP reported.

What This Means For Capacity Buyers And Site Planners

The permit sequence is now part of the schedule. A developer that clears land before the environmental assessment is complete can be stopped, and the delay then lands on whoever was counting on the go-live date. CNBC notes that Finland has become a key data-centre location because land and power, which are scarce across most of Europe, are available there.

If you buy European capacity, ask providers for the permit status of each site, not only the megawatts and dates in the announcement. Ask specifically whether an environmental assessment is required, whether it is complete and whether site work has started, and write delay remedies into the contract.

Keep a second site or region qualified for workloads that cannot wait. The dates to watch are 14 October for Tuike Finland's explanation and 23 October for the suspension, and neither the agency nor Google has said how long the assessments will keep the work stopped.

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