Google Accused of Clearing 300 Hectares for Data Centers

Google has been accused of illegally clearing more than 300 hectares of forest in northern Finland to make way for two new data centers, according to environmental groups and satellite imagery. The area equates to roughly 500 football pitches, and images show four separate sites flattened by bulldozers.

Contractors working for Google began felling trees months before Finland's environmental assessments and legal processes were complete, the Finnish Nature Conservation Association says, a move that has heightened scrutiny as technology firms race to build power-hungry AI infrastructure.

Hanna Halmpae, head of the Finnish Nature Conservation Association, said in a statement: "This either shows gross incompetence by Tuike Finland Oy, the company carrying out the work for Google, or a blatant disregard for Finnish law, or in the worst case a combination of both." The association has lodged a formal request with national regulators to stop all operations until environmental reviews are finalised.

Google has defended the work, saying tree felling complied with Finnish forestry law and that the company carried out broad environmental assessments. The contractor named in the dispute is Tuike Finland Oy.

Local dispute amid a global AI infrastructure push

Environmental campaigners warn the cleared forests provided important habitat for native bird species and served as an ecological corridor for wildlife movement between habitats. The association says the destruction could put some bird populations at risk.

The tensions reflect a global surge in AI-related data centre projects and the environmental footprint they leave. In the United States, regulatory barriers were eased under the administration of Donald Trump, while other countries have applied tighter legal scrutiny.

Google is simultaneously pursuing what it describes as its largest investment in Europe, an initiative valued at about 15 billion US dollars, which the company says will secure local support and approvals for its facilities.

Finnish environmental and legal processes remain ongoing, and regulators have received a formal request from the Finnish Nature Conservation Association to halt construction until environmental assessments are completed.