Yle seeks accounts from municipal officials handling data centre projects

Yle is seeking accounts from municipal officials who have encountered difficulties while handling data centre projects, as plans for new facilities move forward across Finland.

Reporting on Google’s data centres has highlighted the role of municipal building and environmental authorities. Muhos building inspector Eero Airaksinen told Helsingin Sanomat he faced pressure over Google’s data centre project. Jultuz Änwär, a former chief building inspector in Muhos, has said he believes his openness to the media was the reason he was dismissed.

Finland is currently the fastest-growing data centre market in the Nordic countries, with projects under way in different parts of the country.

At the same time, the new Building Act is creating challenges for municipalities. The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities says the law is considered unclear and open to interpretation, making building control work more difficult.

Yle asks people working in municipal building control or, for example, environmental protection to share what situations they have faced in data centre projects. The broadcaster says it is preparing a report on the subject.