{"id":22679,"date":"2026-10-04T07:15:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T07:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=22679"},"modified":"2026-10-04T07:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T07:15:08","slug":"finnish-town-braces-for-change-from-google-data-centres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=22679","title":{"rendered":"Finnish town braces for change from Google data centres"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" 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style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<p>In the northern Finnish town of Muhos, 36-year-old farmer Joni Pitkanen is preparing for life with a new neighbour \u2014 just kilometers away, tech giant Google is planning to build new data centres.<\/p>\n<p>The planned data centres are part of an announced 13-billion-euro ($15-billion) investment in Finland over the next two years \u2014 the US tech giant\u2019s single biggest investment in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>A few kilometers down the gravel road that passes by Pitkanen\u2019s farm, the forest has already been cut down on land acquired by Google, with excavators now clearing the ground and rumbling trucks shuttling back and forth to the construction area located next to major power lines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe project is so massive that it\u2019s basically hard to really grasp, even though we\u2019re right here on the sidelines,\u201d Pitkanen said, as a few cows dozed in a meadow in front of the barn.<\/p>\n<p>Google\u2019s expansion plans include the Finnish municipalities of Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala as well as Hamina, where it already operates a data centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The massive investment prompted US President Donald Trump to urge Google to rethink its plans in a message on his Truth Social network.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pitkanen said he was so far \u201cfairly positive\u201d about the project, as it will bring \u201clarge-scale business activity\u201d and \u201clife\u201d to the rural municipality with a population of only around 8,800 people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut of course we are concerned about\u2026 how we can prepare for the energy consumption,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>In his office in the small village centre, Muhos mayor Kimmo Hinno told AFP that Google\u2019s \u201cmassive investment\u201d kept him busy these days as \u201cno industry of this type\u201d existed here at present.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis will completely change the situation for the entire municipality and the Oulu region,\u201d he said, adding that he expected \u201cthousands of workers\u201d of different nationalities during the construction period \u2014 who will need both housing and other services.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Outside a grocery store, 60-year-old nurse Aila Heilima said she hoped the investment would \u201cmotivate young people to stay\u201d in Muhos for work, instead of moving to bigger towns in search of job opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Mounting criticism \u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But Google\u2019s plans have already sparked controversy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Finnish Supervisory Agency (LVV) is currently investigating whether company Tuike Finland, which represents Google, had cleared more than 300 hectares of forest in Muhos without a mandatory environmental impact assessment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn our view, operations at this construction site should be suspended until it is clarified whether the project is in compliance with the law,\u201d Hanna Halmeenpaa, chair of the board of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, who filed the request with the agency, told AFP at the edge of the deforested area.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the satellite images, we\u2019ve seen that nature sites which should be preserved have also been logged,\u201d she added, explaining that the size of the clear-cut area was comparable to 420 football fields.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Google, meanwhile, told AFP in an email that \u201ctree felling activities have been taking place in compliance with Forestry Act requirements\u201d and they \u201cwere awaiting further guidance from LVV on this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have conducted extensive nature surveys covering the entire area as part of the zoning and Environmental Impact Assessment processes, to ensure high-value nature zones within the sites have been protected during forestry works,\u201d said Sondre Ronander, communications manager for Google in Finland.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Call for regulation \u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Finland has seen a spike in data centre investments, with its cool climate and relatively stable and cheap electricity that is mostly produced without fossil fuels thanks to nuclear plants as well as extensive wind and hydro power.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister Petteri Orpo\u2019s right-wing government has prioritised attracting data centre investments to the Nordic country, which is grappling with record-high unemployment and sluggish economic growth.<\/p>\n<p>But, as dozens of the energy guzzling centres are now under construction and many more planned by companies including Microsoft and TikTok, uncertainty around energy prices, grid capacity and environmental effects have sparked a public debate in Finland.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A citizen\u2019s initiative demanding stricter regulation regarding data centre energy use and consequences for the environment gathered more than 50,000 signatures in just three days after it opened, meaning it will have to be reviewed by parliament.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:90px; 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[]).push({'adzone':1114305});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:139px; background:#c792ea; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> Finnish town braces for change from Google data centres<br \/>\n<br \/>#Finnish #town #braces #change #Google #data #centres<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the northern Finnish town of Muhos, 36-year-old farmer Joni Pitkanen is preparing for 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