Google’s latest data center construction project in Finland is being investigated after the company representing the search giant allegedly cleared over 300 hectares of forest. The reported issue is that Google’s local operator, Tuike Finland, cleared the 420 football fields' worth of trees without obtaining a mandatory environmental impact assessment beforehand, says AFP.
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Google sees Finland as an attractive European data center host country due to a number of favorable factors. The source notes that it is a country with a cool climate, plus stable and cheap energy supplies (mostly nuclear, wind and hydro). Moreover, Finland sees data centers as a solution to address some current woes such as slow economic growth and record-high unemployment levels.
This new development near Muhos, a small town with fewer than 9,000 residents, isn’t the first for Google in Finland. It already has a facility up and running in Hamina, in the south, but hopes to expand in Muhos, Kajaani, and Vaala, in the north. Overall, it is a massive expansion project, and part of a 13-billion-euro ($15-billion) investment in Finland over the next two years.
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