Oulu police open preliminary investigation at Google data centre site in Muhos
Key Facts
Oulu police have opened a preliminary investigation into activity at Google’s data centre construction site in Muhos, following a request from the Finnish supervisory authority over suspected environmental damage. Police said the investigation concerns what took place at the site, operated by Tuike Finland, Google’s local subsidiary. The investigation comes as preparatory work remains suspended in Muhos and at the Kajaani-Otanmäki site amid incomplete environmental impact assessments. The investigation does not mean a violation has been established or a ruling issued in the case. Police aim to complete the investigation during 2027 and are seeking to provide additional information in December.
Police said they had received five requests for investigation related to the Muhos site and would address all of them in the preliminary investigation. Information available to police points to “violations and shortcomings in water discharge and management” at the project site. This puts water management at the centre of the investigation, alongside the broader suspicion of environmental damage. Tuike Finland operates Google’s local site, while authorities continue to consider the five requests. Other potential charges may emerge during the police investigation, but the case’s announced scope currently remains a preliminary investigation into activity at the site and related environmental concerns.
The Finnish authority had ordered preparatory work halted at the Muhos and Kajaani-Otanmäki sites because the environmental impact assessments were incomplete. The company confirmed on 14 October that work at both sites had been suspended. In Muhos, The Guardian reported that Tuike Finland had cleared 330 hectares, or 815 acres, of forest without completing an environmental impact assessment. That report describes the area of forest cleared and the context of the incomplete assessment, but does not establish that a legal violation occurred. The work suspension and investigation coincide with the project being subject to regulatory requirements concerning impact assessment and water management.
The authority found that the submitted water management plan was insufficient to demonstrate adequate control of the project’s impact on water. It therefore asked the company to submit a detailed plan by 5 November, including facilities, schedules and independent water monitoring. This deadline adds a specific regulatory obligation to the existing suspension of work at both sites. The plan is expected to set out how water will be managed and its effects monitored, in line with the elements requested by the authority. If the company does not take sufficient action, the authority said it may resort to formal enforcement measures, including a conditional fine.
The Finnish sites are part of an investment expansion Google announced in September 2026, worth 13 billion euros in digital infrastructure, clean energy and local partnerships. The company described the plan as its largest single investment in Europe, with spending to extend over the two years following the announcement. The plan includes data centres and energy-related initiatives, while work in Muhos and Kajaani-Otanmäki faces a regulatory suspension because of environmental impact assessments. This timing makes completion of environmental and water management requirements part of the implementation of Google’s announced expansion in Finland. The preliminary investigation remains ongoing, with no final ruling issued.
Google said the initial construction phase in 2027 and 2028 would support more than 37,000 jobs across Finland and contribute 3.6 billion euros annually to gross domestic product. It also announced 31 million euros for local communities in Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala over the four years following the September announcement. The programmes include, according to the company, artificial intelligence skills development for more than 4,400 workers and training opportunities for 100 Finnish students. In energy, the company announced a 22-year agreement to support extending the life of the Loviisa nuclear power plant, alongside a contract for a 94-megawatt battery system and the addition of onshore wind power. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said at the investment announcement that the impact of data centres on employment is “often underestimated in public debate,” adding that the expansion would generate significant tax revenues for municipalities and the central government.
Police aim to complete the investigation during 2027 and are seeking to provide additional information in December. Before then, the authority’s 5 November deadline for a detailed water management plan will arrive; the plan must include independent water monitoring, schedules and facilities. The company’s actions and whether they are sufficient will determine whether the authority moves to formal enforcement measures, including a conditional fine. Until the investigation’s findings are announced, the case remains at the stage of suspicion and a preliminary investigation into environmental damage and water discharge and management violations.