Google data center site in Finland. Image credit: X (Twitter)
The suspension comes about a month after Google announced plans to invest $15 billion in Finland through 2028.
The company said the investment would go towards data centers and supporting infrastructure, including energy projects.
Google also said it is advancing biodiversity plans for the region, including tree planting across 130 hectares at Muhos. Google must halt the specified construction activities by October 23.
Google has been told to halt work on two data centers in Europe. The tech giant has been ordered to suspend construction work on projects in Finland, a country increasingly known as the “Texas of Europe” for attracting large data center investments. Google acknowledged “concerns” about the work and said it fell short of its own standards. “We understand the concerns and have fallen short of our own high standards in this instance,” a Google spokesperson told CNBC, adding that the company would follow the LVV’s guidance. Google said it had carried out nature surveys and taken steps to protect areas it considered to have high environmental value.
The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Agency (LVV) issued the order to Google subsidiary Tuike Finland Oy, saying work must stop until it completes environmental impact assessments. The LVV issued the notice on Tuesday, covering data center projects planned for Muhos and Kajaani.