Finnish authorities halt work on two Google data centre sites after illegal tree felling

Authorities in Finland have stopped construction work at two sites linked to Google's data centre plans. The move followed the illegal felling of trees for a Google data centre, according to a report by the technology outlet t3n 1. The report is headlined with a quote from a critic, "Ich will sie hier nicht" ("I don't want them here"), and says Google's AI plans are drawing criticism in Finland 1.

The central figure in the report is the scale of the felling: around 250,000 trees were cut down illegally for the data centre 1. The reason given for the stoppage is that environmental assessments had not been completed when the work took place 1. As a result, the authorities halted activity at two locations rather than just one 1. The short source text available does not name the specific sites, the dates of the decisions, the authorities involved or any response from Google, so those details cannot be confirmed here.

The case highlights a tension that is likely to matter across Europe, where companies are building more data centres to support AI while environmental review rules require assessments to be completed before work starts. In this instance, unfinished assessments were enough for officials to intervene at two sites 1. The source does not say how long the stoppage will last or what penalties or remedies might follow. It also does not describe what Google will do next. Further official decisions and any company statement would show whether the projects can resume and under what conditions 1.