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Finland Opens Criminal Probe Into Google’s Muhos Data-Center Work
Finnish police have opened a criminal investigation into preparatory work at Google subsidiary Tuike Finland’s planned data center in Muhos. Investigators cite preliminary concerns about drainage and water management; the case is expected t
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“We are investigating whether the company's operations have breached the water act and resulted in environmental damage.”
Detective Superintendent Kari Pakanen, quoted by ABC News as speaking to Reuters
Finnish police opened a criminal investigation on Thursday, October 29, into preparatory work at Google’s planned data-center site in Muhos. The inquiry concerns Tuike Finland, Google’s Finnish subsidiary, and is being conducted under the suspected-offense heading of environmental damage. Police have not established that an offense occurred.
Five requests feed one Muhos investigation
The Oulu Police Department said it had received five requests for an investigation concerning the Muhos project. All five will be handled in the same inquiry, which began after a request from Finland’s Supervisory Agency.
Police said preliminary information pointed to irregularities and shortcomings in drainage and water management at the worksite. Investigators will examine those issues, while other possible criminal classifications may become clearer as the inquiry proceeds. Police estimate it will take a substantial period and aim to finish during 2027.
Two sites, but the probe is centered on Muhos
The police investigation concerns work at Muhos, in northern Finland. The wider Google data-center plan also includes Kajaani-Otanmäki, where Tuike Finland had begun preparatory work. The Finnish Supervisory Agency ordered work affecting the environment suspended at both sites while required environmental impact assessments remained incomplete; Tuike confirmed the halt in October, Yle reported.
ABC News reported that about 330 hectares of forest were cleared at Muhos and nearly 200 hectares at Kajaani before the assessments were completed. Those figures describe the separate sites; the police investigation announced on October 29 is specifically tied to the Muhos project.
Water plans and environmental reviews remain unresolved
The agency had also raised concerns about whether Tuike’s water-management plans adequately addressed the project’s environmental effects. Yle reported that the authority required a detailed plan covering water-control structures, schedules and independent monitoring, including risks linked to heavy rain, snowmelt and acidic black shale soils in the area. The company was asked to submit the plan by November 5.
Google’s broader Finland investment, announced in September, is valued at €13 billion, according to Yle. The company has said it believed preparatory work was permitted, while a Google spokesperson told ABC News that it was “actively responding to enquiries from LVV and other authorities.”
The investigation is not a finding of guilt
The police announcement sets out allegations and areas for investigators to examine, not a conclusion that environmental damage or another crime took place. Authorities will determine what the evidence supports; police say further possible offenses may be specified during the preliminary investigation.
For now, the immediate constraints are the work stoppage at both planned sites and the incomplete environmental assessments. Police aim to provide more information in December, with the Muhos investigation expected to continue into 2027.