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Finnish police have opened a criminal investigation into possible environmental damage linked to preparatory work at a site earmarked for a Google data centre in northern Finland.
The Oulu Police Department announced the investigation on Thursday, naming Finnish company Tuike Finland Oy, which represents Google, in connection with construction activities in Muhos.
Police are examining the case as suspected environmental degradation, with the possibility of adding other criminal classifications as the investigation progresses.
Preliminary findings pointed to possible irregularities and shortcomings in drainage and water management at the planned data centre site, according to the police statement.
The investigation followed a request from Finland’s Supervisory Agency (LVV).
Police said the inquiry would take considerable time and was expected to be completed in 2027, with a further update likely in December.
Google announced in September that it would invest €13 billion, equivalent to about $15 billion, in digital infrastructure across four Finnish sites over the next two years to support its artificial intelligence operations.
However, the company’s data centre plans have drawn criticism from residents concerned about their environmental effects.
In early October, the LVV ordered work at Google’s planned data centre sites in Muhos and Kajaani to stop temporarily until the required environmental impact assessments were completed.
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Before the suspension, Tuike had cleared approximately 330 hectares of forest in Muhos and nearly 200 hectares in Kajaani.
Google’s Finland country manager, Antti Järvinen, apologised for the forest clearances in comments to local media but maintained that the company believed the logging operations complied with Finnish law.
Finnish broadcaster Yle also reported that Tuike had cut down trees during expansion work at Google’s data centre project in Hamina between 2018 and 2019 without obtaining the necessary permits.
