Google subsidiary Tuike Finland cleared roughly 330 hectares of forest for a massive data centre project in Muhos before completing a legally required environmental impact assessment. The clearing destroyed about 250,000 trees, according to local environmental groups. That action triggered a supervisory agency order to halt prep work and a criminal environmental damage investigation by the Oulu Police Department.
Forest Clearing Precedes Environmental Review in Muhos
The site in northern Finland’s Muhos municipality is part of an investment plan spanning multiple locations, including Hamina, Kajaani, and Vaala. Google announced at least €13 billion in Finnish AI infrastructure investment through 2028, according to Reuters, describing it as the company’s largest single investment in Europe. Tuike Finland Oy cleared approximately 330 hectares of forest—an area roughly comparable to 500 football fields—before the required environmental impact assessment procedures had concluded, as reported by Gadgetreview.
Agency Halts Project Work over Missing Assessments
The Finnish Supervisory Agency, known as LVV, stepped in to examine whether the project company failed to complete the mandatory assessment before beginning permanent land-use conversion exceeding 200 hectares. LVV ordered Tuike Finland to halt preparatory work at both the Muhos site and a second location in Kajaani-Otanmäki, where assessments were also unfinished. The company confirmed on October 14 that it suspended preparatory work at both sites, according to Yle.
Investigators found that drainage plans failed to show the company could control environmental effects. LVV directed the company to submit a detailed plan. This plan must address heavy rain, snowmelt, and local acidic black shale soils by November 5, warning of formal enforcement and conditional fines if compliance fell short.
The Oulu Police Department announced a criminal investigation into the Muhos site, acting on five separate requests to investigate forwarded to the department. Preliminary information points to ambiguities and deficiencies in drainage and water management at the construction site, according to an Agence France-Presse translation of police statements.
Police Expect Investigation to Finish by 2027
Police indicated that the investigation will take an extended period, with an estimated completion target set for 2027 and further updates planned for December.