The Dragon LNG terminal near Milford Haven is due to receive its first cargo of liquefied natural gas today (Tuesday).

The shipment will mark a milestone in the emergence of the Milford Haven waterway as the one of the UK's major energy hubs.

The South Hook LNG plant received its first shipment of LNG in March, the terminal was officially opened in May by HRH Queen Elizabeth and the Amir of Qatar.

When both of Milford's LNG terminals are completed 25% of the UK's gas could be channeled through them. This is said to be particularly important with the decline of North Sea gas.

Milford mayor, Cllr Tony Eden, welcomed the latest LNG development: "It's vitally important to the country as a whole and it has brought employment to the area," he said. "It was a brownfield site before and it has brought a lot of jobs.

"As a council we have had couple of site visits and we have been very impressed with the level of site safety and professionalism."

According to the Milford Haven Port Authority website, the first ship to arrive at the new terminal will be BG Group's Methane Lyndon Volney, capable of carrying 145,000 cubic meters of LNG.

South Hook's larger Q-Max ships, by contrast, can hold over 260,000 cubic metres.

Unlike South Hook LNG, which solely receives Qatari gas, Dragon - a joint venture between BG Group, Petronas and 4Gas - will purchase gas from around the world, with the first shipment coming from Trinidad.

A statement from the company said all safety measures were now in place for the first shipment.

It reads: "Our multi-million pound facility is the result of international investment and satisfies all UK and European codes and standards.

"The site has been designed, engineered and constructed to assure safety, environmental compliance and reliability."

Nearby residents are also set to receive a safety booklet with recommendations of how to act in the 'extremely unlikely event' of an emergency.