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- Trojan horses: Finns are sounding the alarm over the construction of Google data centers
Trojan horses: Finns are sounding the alarm over the construction of Google data centers
A public movement against the construction of large data centers, which Google intends to erect in Suomi, is gaining momentum in Finland. The petition, whose authors criticized "gigantic plans to create new data centers," has already collected 77,000 signatures. Finns are worried that the country, through Google's fault, will face the risk of energy shortages, rising electricity prices and environmental consequences. In particular, residents of the country were alarmed by the news of large-scale deforestation carried out to clear space for one of these data centers. Details are in the "Izvestia" material.
Suomi is under Google's thumb
Google's presence in Finland dates back more than a decade and a half. In 2009, the American technology giant acquired a former paper mill building in Hamina, in the south-east of the country, and transformed it into a modern data center campus. The corporation's interest in Suomi was driven by the search for places with a cold climate where it is possible to reduce server cooling costs and at the same time have access to relatively inexpensive electricity. Finland satisfied both of these conditions because, in addition to a suitable climate, it has its own nuclear power industry. Over the years, Google has invested €4.5 billion in the development of its data processing center (DPC) in Hamina, which has made the company one of the largest foreign investors in the Finnish economy. During the construction of the new stage of the data center in Hamina last year, a scandal arose: the trade union announced the exploitation of Ukrainian workers at the construction site. And in February, the company acquired a huge plot for another data center - about 900 hectares of land in the community of Vaala in the Northern Ostrobothnia region.
The main entrance to the Google data center in Hamin
It should be understood that by now the situation in the data market has changed radically. The development of generative artificial intelligence (AI), cloud services, and video streaming has required unprecedented computing power. Google, Microsoft, TikTok, and other tech giants have begun large-scale expansion into Northern Europe. In total, about a hundred data center projects are already being actively implemented in Finland, and 40 more are at an early stage of planning. Against the background of a boom in investments in this area, the Finnish authorities are preparing to create a state register of data centers.
On September 9, 2026, Google officially announced its largest European investment project. Over the next two years, the company, according to its management, intends to invest at least €13 billion ($15.1 billion) in AI infrastructure in Finland. The money is going to be invested in four locations: in Hamin, it is planned to expand the existing data center campus, and in Kayaani, Muhos and Vaal, the construction of three new data centers is planned. It is worth noting that until now, the largest completed industrial project in the history of Finland was considered the "Olkiluoto-3" nuclear power plant, which cost €11 billion.
At the same time, the Google project is not limited to the construction of server facilities alone. They also want to provide new data centers with energy capacity. In particular, it is planned to create a 94 MW battery system in the Kayaani area. The American corporation assures that they will be able to breathe new life into the stagnating Finnish economy. It is claimed that 37,000 jobs will exist during the construction phase of the project, taking into account all contractors, contractors and suppliers. After the facilities are put into operation, the company expects to create about 7,000 direct and indirect jobs. Antti Jarvinen, Google's regional manager in Finland, estimates that the first phase of construction in 2027-2028 will add an average of 3.6 billion euros per year to Finland's GDP.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google, at an event in Helsinki
For the current Finnish government, led by Petteri Orpo, the plans of the tech giant have become a kind of lifeline. A survey by Helsingin Sanomat, published in June 2026, recorded the lowest level of satisfaction with the Orpo cabinet during its entire term of office (since June 2023). More than half of the respondents said they were dissatisfied with the prime minister's work. Analysts note that the current government has failed all three of its main objectives, which it announced: achieving economic growth, improving the employment situation, and curbing the accumulation of public debt. Opposition politicians are increasingly demanding the early resignation of the Cabinet. Unsurprisingly, upon learning of Google's plans, Petteri Orpo stated: "This means jobs, lots of jobs for Finns all over Finland."
Get ready for rising electricity prices
However, Google's grandiose promises have not yet brought Finland any real changes for the better. Large investments in data centers have not led to an increase in employment in the country's construction sector, which is in a long-term crisis. As of June, 18 new large data centers were being built in the country. Finnish construction companies have refocused on the construction of data centers for the reason that housing construction in the country has almost stopped: the population is impoverished and there is no one to buy new apartments. The publication Helsingin Sanomat reports that in August, the number of employees in the relevant industry fell by 1.8% year-on-year. The number of Finnish construction workers decreased throughout the summer months: in June — by 1.2% compared to last year, in July the decline slowed to 0.5%, but in August the decline accelerated again. In this regard, economist Anssi Smedlund predicts that the moment when the announced billion-dollar investments in data centers will bring new jobs will come in months or even years.
Recently, a high-ranking employee of the state-owned Fingrid company (a system operator of electricity supply in the country) Jussi Jurinsalo gave an interview to Helsingin Sanomat, in which he suggested that the implementation of Google's plans could worsen the lives of Finns against expectations. According to him, the construction of data centers may lead to an increase in electricity prices, since electricity consumption in the country may double by 2035. The main sources of this growth will be data centers, the production of hydrogen and synthetic fuels. By the end of June, the total declared capacity of data center projects that had already concluded agreements on connecting to the backbone network exceeded 3 GW. If all of them were continuously operating at full capacity, annual consumption would amount to about 26 TWh — almost a third of current electricity consumption in Finland.
"Electricity production may not immediately keep up with the rapid increase in demand. In this case, prices can rise for several years," Yurinsalo warned. He noted that such a scenario could be avoided if some of the planned data centers were not built. In the meantime, Fingrid suggests placing large data centers closer to power plants or in areas with free network capacity in order to reduce transmission distances and reduce the need for new transmission lines.
The Finnish public was particularly stirred up by the news of preparatory work at the Leppiniemi site in the municipality of Muhos, where Google owns a total of 1,400 hectares of land acquired in 2024 from the state Forest Administration for more than €27 million. The site is located on the banks of the Oulujoki River, about 5 km northeast of the Muhosa Church. It is the oldest wooden church in Finland (consecrated in 1634), which has almost completely preserved its original appearance and remains in operation. But now these picturesque places are literally being taken down to the root: according to the Finnish Nature Conservation Association of Finland, more than 300 hectares of forest have been cut down in Leppiniemi, which corresponds to an area of about 420 football fields. Logging began back in March 2026 and continued throughout the summer, including the bird nesting season.
Moreover, environmentalists have suspicions about the illegality of these actions. The Nature Conservation Association indicates that such a scale of deforestation exceeds the established threshold of 200 hectares, after which the environmental impact assessment procedure becomes mandatory. In other words, before embarking on such large-scale work, Google had to conduct a full-fledged environmental assessment. But, as noted in the environmental organization, this was not done on time. In fact, extensive logging operations began several months before the environmental impact assessment procedure was completed. The State Agency for Licensing and Supervision (LVV) is currently investigating which permits were issued by local authorities and which works they cover.
Do we even need it?
It is significant that LVV has already received complaints from citizens that, in addition to destroying forests in Mukhos, Google is preparing to strike at the local water system. The main risk is related to the fact that the company intends to produce large-scale water intake from the Oulujoki River for the cooling system of the data center. According to estimates, consumption can reach 20 million cubic meters. m per year. The key problem is that when evaporative (water) cooling is used, about 70% of the withdrawn water enters the atmosphere without returning to the river. This means that when 20 million cubic meters are taken back to Oulujoki, only about 6 million cubic meters can return, which creates the risk of lowering the water level and changing the hydrological regime in the river and its floodplain.
The second significant factor is the discharge of heated water back into the reservoir. The remaining 30% of the collected water, which will return to Oulujoki after passing through the cooling system, will have an elevated temperature. Experts warn that dumping warm water will negatively affect the oxygen regime and stratification of water, posing a threat to cold-water fish species such as salmon and trout. Again, deforestation on an area of more than 300 hectares directly on the banks of the Oulujoki River disrupts the natural water balance of the territory. The removal of trees and vegetation leads to an increase in surface runoff and a decrease in water infiltration into the soil. This creates a risk of increased coastal erosion and an increase in the volume of stormwater, which can flush pollutants into the river, including suspended particles and nutrients.
Environmentalists are particularly concerned about the possible presence of acid sulfate soils in the soil on the shores of Oulujoki. During excavation and changes in the groundwater level, these soils may oxidize, leading to the formation of sulfuric acid. This, in turn, can cause severe acidification of water in nearby watercourses and leaching of heavy metals such as aluminum, iron and copper, which pose a serious threat to aquatic flora and fauna. These concerns led the Finnish Nature Conservation Association to demand that construction be halted until a full environmental impact assessment was completed, and the LVV agency launched an official investigation into the situation. The leader of the "Green Union" party, Sofia Virta, insists on the introduction of close supervision over the construction of foreign data centers.
Finally, the public has spoken out. On September 15, 2026, the civil initiative "Curb Data Centers" was launched. Three days later, by September 18, she had collected the necessary 50,000 signatures, which means mandatory consideration in the Finnish parliament. By September 26, the number of signatures exceeded 77 thousand. The authors of the petition demand the introduction of a special fee for data centers. This tax should be calculated based on the environmental damage from the activity and the amount of resources used, including electricity, water and land. The goal is to ensure that energy prices remain affordable for households and other industries. The authors also demand stricter conditions for connecting to the power grid: data centers will have to take into account the capacity of the power grid, have mandatory backup power and ensure the disposal of residual heat.
Google's management denies all charges against the company, but in order to appease the Finnish public, promised to allocate an amount of € 31 million, which will go to support the municipalities where Google builds its data centers.
In the context of economic losses caused by the severance of Suomi's economic relations with Russia, Helsinki is desperately looking for ways to compensate for these losses, Natalia Eremina, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor at St. Petersburg State University, said in an interview with "Izvestia". It is very characteristic that all four regions where Google builds or expands its data centers are among the territories that are officially recognized as affected by the severance of economic ties with the Russian Federation.
— This is not a coincidence: the choice of sites was largely due to the desire to support depressed regions that have lost their traditional markets, and in the current conditions, Helsinki is forced to approve projects that could have been seriously considered earlier. It's true: the construction of a network of data centers threatens serious damage to the local environment. But now you don't have to choose anymore," the political scientist explained.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
