They may just want to appear to be doing something positive. Their shareholders aren't interested in details, and are used to the US systems, so with their meeting coming up, they can brush off the loss of the easement application by saying "of course we are appealing". This is just a short term papering over the cracks in their performance, with no real expectation the appeal will succeed.

There is a possibility they are hoping to exert influence on the justice system in some way, through their political contacts. Could be they hope to claim their road is in fact "in the public interest" - perhaps this is where Moonias comes in, though this would be "new evidence" I think, and so not admissable.