Finnish police open criminal inquiry into Google datacentre site over suspected environmental breaches

As reported by The Guardian, The Guardian (Business) and Reuters. The allegations below are theirs, not Vocemundi's.

Finnish police said on Thursday they had launched a criminal investigation into suspected breaches of environmental law at the construction site of a planned Google datacentre in northern Finland. The Guardian and Reuters both reported the announcement.

In a statement quoted by The Guardian, police said: "Based on preliminary information, there have been ambiguities and shortcomings in the drainage and water management at the construction site of Tuike Finland Oy’s datacentre project." The statement added: "The criminal investigation will examine, among other things, circumstances related to these issues."

Background

According to The Guardian, Tuike Finland is a Google subsidiary. The site is in Muhos, in rural northern Finland.

The Guardian reported that earlier this month Finnish authorities ordered Google to suspend work at two sites, Muhos and Otanmäki. It places Otanmäki about 100km south-east of Muhos. According to The Guardian, the order came after the company had not completed environmental impact assessments before clearcutting the land. The Supervisory Agency, which oversees environmental permits and assessments, told Google to halt "preparatory measures altering the environment", the newspaper reported.

According to The Guardian, Finnish authorities are considering applications for 145 new datacentres at various stages of planning. These include a €13bn artificial intelligence infrastructure project by Google, announced in September. Google has called it its largest investment in Europe. More than 93,000 people have signed a petition calling for more datacentre regulation and compensation for environmental damage, The Guardian reported. Finland's parliamentary elections are due in April.

What each side says

• Finnish authorities allege that Tuike Finland cleared and drained 330 hectares (815 acres) of forest at Muhos before legally required environmental impact assessments were completed, according to The Guardian.
• Antti Järvinen, Google's Finland country manager, apologised for the forest clearings, according to The Guardian. He argued the company had acted according to "the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time". The Guardian does not say when or where he made the remarks.
• Campaigners estimate that 250,000 trees have been felled at Muhos and 150,000 at Otanmäki. The reports do not describe how these estimates were made.
• Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in September that attracting investment was a "top priority" and that the Google deal would "deliver lasting benefits", according to The Guardian. The newspaper reports that the government has encouraged the projects.
• Jussi Kangasharju, professor of computer science at the University of Helsinki, was quoted by The Guardian as saying: "Really, for Finland, there are no benefits." Unnamed experts cited by the newspaper said datacentres bring a limited number of local jobs and minimal national benefits.

What is not known

The reports do not include a response from Google or Tuike Finland to the criminal investigation. They do not specify which legal provisions are under investigation, whether anyone has been named as a suspect, or whether the Otanmäki site is included. They also do not describe the current status of the suspension order or a timeline for the investigation.

Vocemundi note: this story relays allegations published by The Guardian, The Guardian (Business) and Reuters. Vocemundi did not have access to the underlying evidence or documents and has not independently verified these claims. The people and organisations named are presumed innocent; their response is included where it was available.

Analysis

The investigation adds a criminal dimension to an existing regulatory dispute over how Google prepared its Finnish sites. Its outcome may depend on details the reports do not yet describe, including the legal provisions involved and whether any party is named as a suspect. Several scenarios remain possible: the inquiry could find no offence, lead to penalties, or prompt changes in permitting practice. With 145 datacentre applications reportedly under review and elections due in April, the case may shape a wider public debate in Finland. That debate weighs investment and economic arguments against environmental oversight and questions about who benefits.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.