Contact Energy yesterday announced it would lodge an appeal against a decision by the Tararua District Council and Horizons Regional Council to reject a planned wind farm out at Waitahora, about 10km north-west of Dannevirke.

After a nine-day hearing last month, a panel of commissioners turned down resource consent for the $550 million, 65-turbine farm on the Puketoi Range.

The 150-metre tall wind turbines would have been the largest in New Zealand.

Contact Energy had 15 days to appeal the decision, and three days before deadline yesterday, spokesman Jonathan Hill said the company would "definitely" do so. "It's our view there are a number of points we think can be confronted, and an appeal is the form that we wish to do that."

But Waitahora-Puketoi guardians' chairwoman Tania Simmons said Contact had a lot of work to do if they thought they were going get a result at Environment Court.

The group was not surprised by Contact's appeal, and was prepared for battle, she said.

"We have always expected this to go to the Environment Court, so we've looked at it with that in mind all along. We have a very strong case."