Google will build data centres in three northern Finnish municipalities

Google has announced plans to build data centres in Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala in northern Finland, creating a large data zone that Yle reports could become exceptional even by European standards.

The projects form a significant part of Google’s planned 13 billion euro investment in Finland. Each municipality is preparing areas covering hundreds of hectares for the centres.

The centres are planned for Muhos, a municipality of about 9,000 residents, Vaala, with around 2,500 residents, and Otanmäki in Kajaani, where about 700 people live.

More than 2,000 hectares acquired

The projects are furthest along in Kajaani and Muhos, where the zoning plans have been approved but challenged in administrative court. The Vaala project was announced last winter, and its zoning plan is expected to be completed next spring.

Google has acquired more than 2,000 hectares of land across the three municipalities.

In Muhos, more than 600 hectares have been reserved for data centres and other industrial activity. The area has nearly two million square metres of permitted building space.

About 350 hectares have currently been reserved for industrial activity in Kajaani, where the zoning process is less advanced. In Vaala, around 300 hectares are being reserved for data centre operations, according to Sweco, the company working on the zoning.

Current plans call for nine server halls in Muhos and eight in Kajaani, along with other buildings and support facilities. Hotels may also be built in the areas.

The projects are creating a zone of large data centres along the border between North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu. Other billion-euro projects are already under way in Kajaani and Utajärvi.

Earthworks already under way

Large-scale earthworks are already taking place across hundreds of hectares in Kajaani and Muhos.

In Muhos, trucks are operating around the clock, according to Tapani Ervasti, chair of the municipal executive board. He compared the amount of crushed rock being transported with the volume used to build the Hailuoto bridge, saying the work there took 18 months while the material in Muhos is being moved in less than six months.

Earthworks for the data centre area in Otanmäki, Kajaani, are also progressing. The actual construction of the buildings could begin next year at the earliest if the zoning appeals are rejected.

Thousands needed during construction

Google says thousands of construction workers will be needed for the three projects. In Muhos, estimates have reached more than 2,000 workers during construction. After Wednesday’s announcement, estimates of the workforce needed in Vaala have ranged from 1,000 to 1,900.

Construction could take six to 10 years if several centres are built at the same time. Building the centres one at a time could extend the work to 15 to 20 years.

Once completed, each centre is expected to provide hundreds of direct and indirect jobs.

What is a data centre?

Data centres contain thousands of computers that process and store vast amounts of internet data. They also store information for cloud services and are needed for streaming, search engine and map services. The development of artificial intelligence and growing computing needs have increased demand for data centres.