Finland launches criminal investigation into Google’s clearing of forest for datacentre site

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Authorities allege company may have breached Finnish environmental laws by forgoing required impact assessment</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/oct/22/finland-google-felling-trees-datacentre">‘Pure arrogance’: anger in Finland as Google illegally fells 250,000 trees for datacentre</a></p></li></ul><p>Finnish ⁠police have launched a criminal investigation into possible breaches ⁠of the country’s environmental ⁠laws ​at the site of a planned Google datacentre in rural northern Finland.</p><p>Authorities allege that Tuike Finland, a Google subsidiary, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/oct/22/finland-google-felling-trees-datacentre">cleared and drained 330 hectares (815 acres) of forest</a> at the planned site in Muhos before environmental impact assessments required by Finnish law had been completed.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/29/finland-criminal-investigation-google-clearing-forest-datacentre">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.