A spokeswoman for federal Environment Minister Tony Burke said last night that Mr Burke would make an announcement today on the success of the company's last environmental permit application.

The decision, which represents the last legal barrier in the way of a start on the proposed $2.3 billion mill, had been expected tomorrow.

Gunns was required to collect more than 12 months worth of data to analyse from Bass Strait to determine whether effluent from the proposed Bell Bay pulp mill would have a detrimental effect on marine life.

The company has worked closely with federal Environment Department officers to meet the requirements of the permit.

Gunns pulp mill spokesman Calton Frame told the company's annual meeting before Christmas that it had cost more than $4 million and an extra couple of years to secure the information for the marine study.

A West Australian company was commissioned to do the work.

Mr Frame said Gunns was confident that the study would confirm there would be no detrimental impact on the marine environment.

It would release the full report once the permit was granted.

Environment Tasmania, which represents a range of state environmental groups, said this week that it believed its research showed that the pulp mill posed potentially alarming risks to coastal and marine values.

Environment Tasmania coasts co-ordinator Thomas Moore said that any development in the region had to be benign to the environment, other industry, coastal amenity and human health.

A Gunns spokesman said that the company would notify the Australian Securities Exchange of the federal permit decision as soon as it was informed today.

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