Google Muhos Data Center in Finland: Police Open Criminal Probe
Finnish police said on Oct. 29 they opened a criminal probe at the Google Muhos data center site after an LVV request, aiming to finish in 2027. No suspects or charges are reported.
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Police received five investigation requests about Muhos; the probe opened Oct 29 and police aim to finish in 2027, per Yle and Reuters.
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Finnish police have opened a criminal investigation into suspected environmental damage at the construction site of Google's planned Muhos data center in Finland, police said in a statement on Oct. 29, according to Reuters.
Police are investigating Tuike Finland Oy, a Google subsidiary, under the offence heading "environmental damage" (ympäristön turmeleminen), Yle reported. Police said other offence headings may be specified later in the pre-trial investigation. Oulu police have received five investigation requests about the Muhos project in total, and this investigation began this week on a request from the Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV), Yle said.
The Oct 29 police probe follows LVV's Oct 6 halt order and Oct 22 Water Act statement; Nov 5 and 2027 are a deadline and a target.
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The probe follows the regulatory steps Voltgrid reported on Oct. 23. LVV said on Oct. 22 that the ditching at Muhos needs a Water Act permit and asked for a water-management plan by Nov. 5; it also said it had filed an investigation request with police. The agency had ordered work halted at Muhos and a second site on Oct. 6.
What police say they will examine
"Based on preliminary information, there have been ambiguities and shortcomings in the drainage and water management at the construction site," police said, per Reuters. The criminal investigation will examine those circumstances, among other things. Authorities have said Tuike cleared forest and carried out drainage at the Muhos site before the environmental impact assessments required under Finnish law were complete, Reuters reported.
Yle said police expect the pre-trial investigation to take a long time and aim to finish it during 2027.
Why it matters for the Finland buildout
The Muhos site belongs to Google's Finnish AI infrastructure plan, which Reuters described as a $15 billion investment announced last month and the company's largest in Europe; Yle and LVV put the plan at EUR 13 billion. Reuters noted that Finland's cool climate, low-carbon electricity and government support have made it one of Europe's main data center destinations, and that opposition to buildouts there has been less vocal than in other places, including the United States.
For developers, the practical point is sequencing. Site preparation that runs ahead of environmental assessments and water permits can stop work through a regulator's order and now draws a criminal inquiry as well. Both sites remain under LVV's halt order, and LVV has given no restart date, as Voltgrid reported earlier.
What is not confirmed yet
Police have named no suspects or individuals and have filed no charges. A criminal investigation is a fact-finding step, and the outcome is open. Google did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment, and Reuters could not reach Tuike. Google has said previously that it began preparatory work based on its understanding of the approvals required, and Tuike told LVV on Oct. 14 that it would comply with the halt order. LVV's Nov. 5 deadline for the water-management plan is the next scheduled date.
