Google told to halt work on datacentres in Finland over environmental concerns
Finnish authorities have ordered Google to halt construction on two datacenters in Muhos and Kajaani due to the company's failure to complete mandatory environmental impact assessments. Google had already begun clearing hundreds of hectares of forest, drawing criticism from conservation groups.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing tension between the massive infrastructure needs of the tech industry and local environmental regulations in Europe.
A view of the Muhos site on 29 September 2026./Getty Images A view of the Muhos site on 29 September 2026./Getty Images Google Google told to halt work on datacentres in Finland over environmental concerns Order on two construction sites comes after Google failed to carry out the necessary environmental impact assessments
Prefer the Guardian on Google Google has been ordered to temporarily stop work on two datacentres in Finland after failing to do the necessary environmental impact assessments on its construction sites.
The planned datacentres in Muhos and Kajanni are part of a 13bn euro project across multiple sites in northern Finland by the technology company amid huge demand for space to house online infrastructure.
It comes after it emerged that Tuike Finland Oy, the company representing Google , had felled 330-hectares (815 acres) of forest in Muhos without completing an environmental impact assessment.
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