Google cleared 300 hectares of Finnish forest for a data center before environmental review was complete

Google is facing scrutiny in Finland. According to local regulators, the US corporation started large-scale forest clearing for new data center infrastructure before the mandatory environmental impact assessment of the full plan was finished.

In September 2026, Finland's Permit and Supervision Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto, LVV) sent a request to Tuike Finland Oy (TFO). This is Google's local company handling the data center construction plans in the municipalities of Muhos and Kajaani. LVV asked for an explanation of the developer's actions at the sites.

The construction is part of a major Google program in Finland. The corporation is investing around €13 billion in new AI-focused infrastructure.

In theory, TFO is supposed to carry out the work in line with environmental requirements. The company's commitments include:

• energy sustainability measures

• job creation

• support for the local natural environment

Public reports cited by LVV tell a different story. Around 300 hectares of forest, roughly 420 football fields, were cleared at the sites before a full environmental impact assessment took place.

Google disagrees with the allegations. The corporation said the clearing fully complied with Finnish law, and that the area was surveyed in advance to avoid areas of high environmental value.

Hanna Halmeenpää, chair of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, sees it differently. According to her, satellite imagery shows that machinery has already leveled areas that should have remained protected.

Beyond the loss of a large forest area, the consequences could be serious for local wildlife. Halmeenpää urged LVV to halt the construction entirely so authorities can determine whether Google tried to clear the forest without formal approval.

Finland is among the countries with the highest environmental protection standards in the world. Large data centers like those TFO is building carry a heavy environmental cost, both in land use and in enormous power consumption.

If the regulator decides to suspend work, the Finnish project will join the list of major data centers facing schedule delays. Similar holdups have already hit several facilities in the US and elsewhere.

Frustration among local communities over the unchecked expansion of Big Tech AI infrastructure is growing worldwide. Meanwhile, Google is testing the launch of AI chips into orbit, but space experiments are unlikely to ease tensions around data centers on the ground.