A Criminal Inquiry Opens Where 250,000 Trees Once Stood

Finnish police open a criminal inquiry into Google’s forest clearance

Police in Finland are investigating possible breaches of environmental law at the site of a planned Google datacentre in the north of the country. The case concerns Tuike Finland, a Google subsidiary, which authorities say cleared and drained 330 hectares at Muhos before the assessments required under Finnish law had been carried out.

In a statement on Thursday, police said preliminary information pointed to ambiguities and shortcomings in drainage and water management at the construction site, and that these would be among the matters examined.

The inquiry follows an order earlier this month suspending work at Muhos and at Otanmäki, around 100km away, where the cleared area covers roughly 200 hectares. Campaigners put the felling at 250,000 trees on the first site and 150,000 on the second.

Antti Järvinen, who runs Google’s Finnish operations, has apologised and said the company acted on its best reading of the law at the time.

Finland is weighing applications for 145 datacentres, among them a €13 billion AI infrastructure project that Google describes as its largest investment in Europe. More than 93,000 people have signed a petition seeking tighter rules and compensation for environmental damage.

Canberra moves to keep data centre costs off other power bills

Australia has proposed obliging large data centres to contract firmed electricity backed by new renewable generation and storage in the same market region where they operate, with financial penalties and possible load shedding for those that fall short.

Climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen submitted two rule change requests to the Australian Energy Market Commission, published on 28 October. Facilities above size thresholds still to be defined would have to show their demand is covered by eligible firming arrangements, assessed across their whole portfolio rather than contract by contract. Power purchase agreements, cap contracts, behind-the-meter batteries and demand response all qualify.

The stated aim is to stop the costs and reliability risks of large new loads being passed to other electricity users. A non-compliant operator could be made to cut demand until it shows sufficient coverage.

The sector’s consumption is forecast to reach around 15TWh by 2029-30 and 34TWh by 2035-36, or 7.8% and 13% of operational demand in the National Electricity Market. The commission has yet to begin the rule change process.

Norway weighs a ban as data centres eat into its power surplus

Norwegian politicians are turning against the data centre boom, with one party calling an emergency parliamentary debate next week that could produce a motion to ban new facilities. Forecasts published on Thursday sharpened the argument.

The sector barely existed three or four years ago. It now draws between 3 and 4TWh, about 2.5% of national consumption, and the energy regulator NVE expects that to reach 25TWh by 2035 on the strength of grid connections already approved. Kjetil Lund, who heads the regulator, said growth is set to continue at pace.

What the country gets back is modest. A study for the digitalisation ministry put direct value creation at around 3.2 billion crowns in 2025, with employment equivalent to roughly 600 full-time positions.

Hydropower dominates Norwegian generation and the country usually runs a surplus of about 15TWh, but with little new capacity coming through, the regulator warns of a growing risk of deficit. The transmission operator Statnett has said much the same.

Energy minister Terje Aasland said the government is working on short and long-term measures, and wants establishments that are strategically important nationally.

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The Green Climate Fund approves a record $1.97 billion

The Green Climate Fund has approved $1.97 billion across 21 projects at its latest board meeting, bringing the year’s total to a record $3.2 billion. Of that, $682 million goes to six private-sector initiatives.

Executive director Mafalda Duarte told Reuters the fund wants to raise how much private capital it draws in for every dollar it commits. Historically, that figure has been $3, rising to $4.5 on private-sector projects and $9 last year. Duarte said multipliers above 10 should be the target, and described that as a conservative ambition.

The latest approvals take the fund’s investments to $22.3 billion across 379 projects, or $86.4 billion once co-financing is counted. To move more money, it is developing co-investment platforms where sovereign and non-sovereign investors can work together in particular sectors and markets.

A first policy allowing contributions from non-sovereign and alternative sources could widen the funding base beyond national governments as the fund prepares its third replenishment round.

The approvals land before COP31 in Turkey in early November, with richer countries hesitant to commit further sums. Duarte said demand for funding exceeds $11 billion.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Pawel Czerwinski