Finnish regulators have ordered Google to suspend environmentally significant preparatory work on two planned data centre sites in Muhos and Kajaani until environmental impact assessments are completed.
The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority said Google subsidiary Tuike Finland had already carried out extensive work in the project areas, including tree clearance, topsoil removal, construction of access roads and storage areas, changes to ditches and culverts, and stormwater arrangements.
An estimated 250,000 trees have reportedly been cleared at the Muhos site. The authority said such measures could alter the environment and create impacts that should be identified and assessed through the environmental impact assessment process.
Tommi Muilu, head of the authority’s environmental department, said the work undertaken so far was among the reasons for requiring the suspension.
The order does not cover planning, measurements, soil surveys or other activities with minor impacts that can be readily reversed.
The Muhos and Kajaani developments form part of Google’s planned €13 billion investment in Finnish artificial-intelligence infrastructure. Announced in September, the project was described by the company as its largest single investment in Europe.
Google already operates a data centre in Hamina, where it converted a former paper mill after purchasing the site in 2009. The facility opened in 2011.
The company has presented its Finnish operations as an example of how data centres can work alongside local communities. The Hamina facility uses seawater from the Gulf of Finland for cooling and sends waste heat to nearby homes and businesses.
Google estimates that heat recovery from the site could meet up to 80% of the annual demand of Hamina’s district heating network. In September, it also signed a 22-year agreement with Fortum linked to extending the life of the Loviisa nuclear plant, which Google says supplies about 10% of Finland’s electricity.
The regulatory intervention is an awkward development for the Finnish Government, which has strongly promoted the investment. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in September that Finland remained an attractive destination for investment and described Google’s decision as a testament to the country’s strengths.
However, more than 96,000 people have signed a citizens’ initiative calling for tighter controls on data centres, including the introduction of a data centre fee.
The initiative calls for safeguards to ensure that data centres do not threaten security of supply or push up electricity prices for households and other industries. It also proposes compensation for environmental damage and resource consumption affecting society and local communities.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority’s decision.
