Google told to halt work on Finnish data centers after clearing an estimated 250,000 trees before environmental review was done

Google has spent more than a decade pointing to Finland as proof that a data center can be a good neighbor. Now Finland’s regulators say it moved too fast on the next ones.

The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority issued a notice that requires Google subsidiary Tuike Finland to suspend all environmentally significant preparatory work at sites in Muhos and Kajaani, until required environmental impact assessments are finished. The move follows the clearing of an estimated 250,000 trees at Muhos, according to The Guardian.

The two sites are part of Google’s €13 billion (about $15.1 billion) investment in Finnish AI infrastructure, announced in September and billed by the company as its largest single investment in Europe. Google already operates a data center in the Finnish town of Hamina.

“This is Google’s largest single investment in Europe and a testament to Finland’s leadership in responsibly building AI infrastructure,” Google said in a statement in September........

© Fortune