Finland's Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV, the national regulator) has ordered Google to suspend site preparation at two planned datacentres in Muhos and Kajaani in northern Finland, saying clearing of forest, topsoil stripping and road building began before a required environmental impact assessment was finished. Around 330 hectares were felled at Muhos and nearly 200 at Kajaani, part of a €13bn multi-site project; Google has until next Wednesday to explain and faces possible enforcement and a fine, while it admits it "fell short of our own high standards". Conservation groups say the case points to a systemic problem, blaming an overheated datacentre market and limited expertise in small municipalities.