Finnish regulators ordered Google to stop work at two datacentre sites after the company stripped roughly 330 hectares of forest near Muhos and another site at Otanmäki without completing required environmental impact assessments. An estimated 250,000 trees were felled at Muhos and about 150,000 at Otanmäki, and local observers say topsoil was removed and brown runoff is reaching a stream that feeds the Oulujoki River. The halt was imposed by the Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority after the clearances, and Google Finland country manager Antti Järvinen apologised while saying the company had acted on its best understanding of the law. The clearances form part of a reported €13 billion Google AI infrastructure project in Finland, where about 145 datacentre plans are at various stages. The revelations have provoked public outcry, a petition of more than 93,000 signatures demanding tighter regulation and potential fees to compensate affected communities, and raised datacentre policy into Finland’s national conversation ahead of the April elections. Critics cite impacts on local ecosystems, renewable energy use and community costs; proponents including prime minister Petteri Orpo had earlier framed the investment as a national priority for economic benefits.
