Finland’s Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) has halted major ground-altering work at planned Google data-center sites in Muhos and Kajaani-Otanmäki pending environmental impact assessments and set a Nov. 5 deadline for a water plan at Muhos.
The regulator’s Oct. 6 directive covers tree clearing, topsoil removal, excavation, ditching and site-road construction. Planning, measurements and soil studies may continue. LVV said extensive work before the assessments are complete could reduce how much they guide decisions and help compare ways to limit environmental harm. The assessments were still unfinished in the agency’s Oct. 22 update.
Tuike Finland Oy, Google’s local representative, told LVV in an Oct. 14 response that preparation had stopped at both locations. The order applies to specified work that significantly changes the environment.
LVV said a Sept. 18 filing from Tuike described about nine kilometers of new ditches at Muhos, most of them already built. The agency said the drainage requires a Water Act permit and that it should have received notice at least 60 days before ditching began.
The authority said the Muhos site is in an area with black shale. Drainage or excavation can expose sulfide-bearing soil to air, potentially raising water acidity and metal levels, LVV said. Monitoring results submitted by Tuike already showed changes that the agency said indicated acidification. LVV also requested an update on the status of a moor frog breeding and resting site following work in the Muhos project area.
The Guardian reported Oct. 22 that Mari Annala, an ecologist with the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, estimated about 250,000 trees had been felled at Muhos and another 150,000 at Otanmäki. LVV’s releases did not provide an official tree count. A Google spokesperson told The Guardian the company had acted “in good faith under the Forestry Act.”
Google announced a €13 billion investment in Finnish digital infrastructure, clean energy and local partnerships over two years. The company projects construction in 2027 and 2028 will support more than 37,000 jobs nationwide and contribute €3.6 billion annually to Finland’s gross domestic product.
LVV said it had filed a police request concerning the Muhos project but withheld further details because the matter is confidential. Tuike’s water-management plan, including independent water monitoring, is due to LVV by Nov. 5.
