The Milford Haven waterway is now a major energy centre of the world, according to First Minister Rhodri Morgan.
He was speaking during a visit to the Pembrokeshire Technium at Pembroke Dock.
Mr. Morgan said he was delighted that the £850 million plus power station scheme had been given the go-ahead, following-on from the LNG developments.
"This has helped Milford Haven become a major energy centre of the world," he added.
And he said the Technium could play a key role in discovering how the waste heat from the power station could be best utilised.
The First Minister was accompanied by local MP, Nick Ainger, and two candidates for this year's European elections, Derek Vaughan and Rachel Maycock.
They were welcomed by Clr. John Davies, leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, which manages the Technium, a joint venture between the Authority, the Welsh Assembly Government and Swansea University.
Among those The First Minister met were representatives from Swansea University's School of Engineering and the Technium's first tenant company, Infinergy, which is developing small scale wind farms in Wales.
He also saw the IBM supercomputer 'Blue Ice' in action at the Technium's Mike Barnsley Centre for Climate Research where he met the centre's scientific director, Professor Tavi Murray.