“We will lodge an appeal with the High Court, outlining the specific areas of law where the decision is incorrect,” he said.
Fuge said New Zealand’s domestic energy supply was under increasing pressure.
“Natural gas supplies from offshore fields continue to decline faster than expected, and demand for electricity is growing,” Fuge said.
“There is a pressing long-term need to increase electricity supply.
“We continue to see a real need for the Southland Wind Farm to provide secure, affordable, and environmentally friendly electricity.”
Contact will reapply for consent under the updated Fast-track Approvals Act 2024.
The Department of Conservation, Ngāi Tahu, Environment Southland, Southland District Council and Gore District Council approved of the conditions that Contact put forward for the project.
Contact said the Southland Wind Farm will have significant economic benefits for local communities, creating up to 240 jobs during construction, with an estimated $230 million to $280m added into the New Zealand economy.
An earlier version of this story said an Environmental Protection Authority panel had declined Contact’s application.
In an email to the Herald, the authority said an independent consenting panel had declined resource consent for the Southland Wind Farm project.
“We are not involved in the decision-making; we provide procedural advice and administrative support to the panel convenor, Judge Laurie Newhook, and the expert consenting panel he appoints to make a decision on the project,” the authority said.
Jamie Gray is an Auckland-based journalist, covering the financial markets, the primary sector and energy. He joined the Herald in 2011.
