Police in Oulu, northern Finland, have opened a criminal investigation into preparatory works at the planned Google data centre site in Muhos on suspicion of environmental damage. The probe follows a complaint from Finland’s Permit and Supervision Authority (LVV), which earlier ordered Google’s local subsidiary to suspend environmentally significant work at two sites until impact assessments are complete.

What happened

Oulu Police announced the investigation on 29 October. According to public broadcaster Yle, it concerns Tuike Finland Oy, the Google subsidiary developing the Muhos project, and was triggered by a criminal complaint from LVV. The suspected offence is environmental damage, and police said further offences could be specified as the inquiry proceeds.

Police said preliminary information points to irregularities and shortcomings in ditching and water management at the construction site, which the investigation will examine. Oulu Police have received five investigation requests relating to the Muhos project. They expect the inquiry to take a long time and aim to complete it during 2027.

Google said it has worked with Finnish government and local communities on infrastructure for more than a decade, that it responds to questions from LVV and other authorities, and that it is cooperating with the police investigation.

Background and key numbers

Scrutiny of the project began in early October, when it emerged that forest had been cleared and other preparatory work carried out at Muhos before the environmental impact assessment (EIA) was finished. LVV then issued a partial stop-work notice covering Muhos and a second site at Kajaani. It suspends environmentally significant preparatory work until the required assessments are complete, but does not cover planning, measurements, soil surveys and other low-impact activity. Google told the BBC it had “fallen short of our own high standards in this instance”.

Muhos and Kajaani form part of a €13bn Google commitment to Finnish digital infrastructure announced in September. Google has run a seawater-cooled data centre in Hamina, in a converted paper mill, since 2009, and according to DatacenterDynamics recently bought about 56 hectares of additional land there for €10.7m.

Why it matters for modular and edge in Europe

Finland and the wider Nordic region remain among Europe’s most sought-after data centre locations because of cool climates and low-carbon power. The Muhos case shows that regulators there are prepared to enforce the order of permitting steps strictly, including for one of the world’s largest operators, and that site preparation carried out before an EIA is complete can trigger both administrative orders and criminal inquiries.

For developers of smaller modular and edge facilities, the lesson is less about scale than sequencing. Projects that rely on factory-built modules typically need less on-site construction, and those placed on previously developed land avoid forest clearance altogether, but they still depend on ground works, drainage and grid connections that fall under the same environmental rules. As Nordic authorities and campaigners pay closer attention to how sites are prepared, timelines that assume early groundwork ahead of full approvals look increasingly risky.

Sources

• Yle – Poliisi on aloittanut rikostutkinnan Googlen toimista Muhoksen datakeskustyömaalla (Finnish)
• Datacenter Forum – Finland orders Google to halt work on data centers
• DatacenterDynamics (via BeBeez) – Finnish police open criminal investigation into Google
• DatacenterDynamics – Google buys 56 hectares in Hamina, Finland