Google has been ordered to halt work by October 23 and clarify the environmental impact of the large facilities. The announcement came from the Swedish Permit and Supervision Agency and follows massive local protests.
Google has previously cited, among other things, the country’s forestry law and said it acted in good faith, Sondre Ronander, Google’s head of communications in Finland, tells Swedish Yle.
“We understand the concerns and have not managed to live up to our own high standards,” Ronander says.
The company is already suspected of having made mistakes when forest areas were previously cleared without an environmental impact assessment.
Investments are estimated at around 13 billion euros (146 billion kronor, about $13.9 billion).
