Google has Acquired a 900-hectare Site in Finland for the Development of a New Data Center

The municipality of Vaala this week announced Google has acquired some 900 hectares in the area. The site is about six kilometres (3.7 miles) from the center of Vaala, near Fingrid's Nuojua substation on both sides of Ouluntie (Highway 22). Full details of the planned development haven’t been shared.

Minna Kärkkäinen, Mayor of Vaala, said: “The cooperation with Google has been very smooth, and we warmly welcome Google to Vaala! A possible data center area could be significant for both the municipality and the entire region, bringing a lot of jobs to Vaala already during the construction phase and later permanent employment. We are working hard to make the plans proceed to the next stages in time.”

Google has long had a data center presence in Finland and has been making moves to expand further in recent years. The company has had operations in Hamina for more than a decade, and is targeting further developments in Kajaani and Muhos.

Kari Kangas, director of forest investments at United Bankers, said: "Although all forest properties in United Bankers’ forest funds were originally acquired for forestry purposes, renewable energy projects and data center developments now represent new potential revenue streams for investors."

“Business Finland sees a lot of innovation and investment potential in the Finnish data center ecosystem, and we develop it together with data center operators, Finnish companies, and municipalities. Invest in Finland as part of Business Finland works in close cooperation with several companies planning data centers in Finland to strengthen their interest in Finnish technology and know-how,” added Jouni Salonen, senior advisor, Invest in Finland.