In March, the energy giant was declined consent for the wind farm after applying through the government’s fast-track legislation.
Contact Energy had spent about $20 million to get to that stage and indicated yesterday it was still keen on the project.
The company is proposing to build a wind farm on Slopedown Hill in eastern Southland, about 25km south of Gore and 15km east of Wyndham.
The wind farm would consist of up to 55 turbines, each with up to about 7MW in capacity with a tip height of 220m.
Contact was turned down by the three-person panel because of issues over the mitigation of adverse effects on indigenous vegetation and habitats of indigenous fauna.
Contact then appealed to the High Court and also applied for the project to be part of the fast-track process introduced by the National-led government.
Contact Energy head of business development wind and solar Matthew Cleland said yesterday the company remained committed to the project.
It had gained approval to apply for consent through the government’s new Fast-Track Approvals Act 2025, and had submitted a substantive application for the proposed wind farm.
"Our application is currently undergoing a completeness check and once this process is final, we will review the status of our High Court appeal," he said.
He said the Southland wind farm would strengthen electricity supply for the whole country, for homes, industries and businesses.
"The project would bring more than $200 million to the Southland economy and generate enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 150,000 homes."
