A Gunns spokesman said yesterday it now had the agreements it needed with landowners affected by the pipeline proposed to take water from Trevallyn Dam to the $2.3 billion pulp mill site.

The company had faced criticism from property owners along the initial East Tamar route for the pipeline, who refused to allow it to cross their land.

The Department of Infrastructure Energy and Resources also took flak last year when it was accused of laying a section of the pipe north from Rocherlea for Gunns.

But a department spokeswoman said this week that land had been acquired by the government for the highway before the Gunns pipeline was mooted.

She said that a section of the pipeline had been laid during the highway construction so that it would not have to be dug up again.

Gunns had paid for the installation.

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke is expected to give a decision on the last three modules for Gunns' pulp mill environmental permits tomorrow after delaying it a week.

The decision was delayed when the company said it wanted to make the environmental guidelines for the mill tougher.

Gunns managing director Greg L'Estrange said yesterday that the company had decided that embedding some of the voluntary guidelines would be a positive step.

Gunns now proposes to use only plantation timber for the mill and to reduce chlorine emissions by using a different bleaching process.