This is the fourth in a series of stories about the Board of Public Utilities' Oct. 1 informational meeting regarding the proposed power plant project.

Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, technology like that used in an oxy-coal power plant project proposed by the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities could have significant, long-term economic and environmental benefits for New York.

That's according to George Rusk, the vice president and regulatory specialist for Ecology & Environment, who said during an Oct. 1 informational meeting regarding the new power plant that with broad implementation of CCS technology, New York could realize an economic impact to the tune of $900 million and 3,500 jobs.

''This is one reason why Gov. (David) Paterson is so interested in the Jamestown project,'' he said. ''That, coupled with the fact that companies from right here in Western New York are involved in the project, make it a very important one.''

The oxy-coal technology, if it's implemented at the BPU's Steele Street facility, would also allow for the option of a so-called technology campus. Students from the University of Buffalo could use the facility as a hands-on classroom, an invaluable opportunity for students considering careers in the field.

''We have in front of us a number of opportunities that include career opportunities, geological research opportunities, and community outreach opportunities, to name only a few,'' Dr. Harvey Stenger said during the informational meeting.

Stenger, who is the dean of the University at Buffalo's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, also said the facility could attract the interest of students and industry professionals from overseas.

Though scientists and BPU officials alike are looking forward to a day when opportunities become reality, the oxy-coal power plant project is at least five years away from a point where it will begin to produce electricity.

According to a timeline provided by Dave Leathers, BPU general manager, at the informational meeting, officials will in January submit a proposal for $340 million from the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Coal Plant Initiative, or CCPI. The BPU must wait until September 2009 to find out whether or not the money was awarded.

Any CCPI money will require a 50 percent match by the BPU, which means the BPU would chip in $170 million and receive $170 million from the USDOE. Repayment of the federal funds is not required.

Leathers said 2009 will see the completion of most of the design phase of the project.

In March 2009, officials estimate that a BPU test well will be drilled and a $800,000 geologic study by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, will be complete. The study has been ongoing since May 2008.

By June 2009, the project will have moved through what industry officials call FEED Phase I, or front-end engineering and design.

Once the project is through the first phase of engineering and design, a storage site for the liquid carbon dioxide will be identified. In May 2010, work will begin to construct the oxy-coal plant and the BPU will receive any CCPI money designated for the project, which will move through a second phase of engineering and design by the end of June 2010.

By January 2013, the new oxy-coal plant will be online and by January 2016, its three-year demonstration period will have ended.

Throughout the process, there will be additional community information meetings held by the BPU, along with formal public hearings and other meetings held as part of the formal process.

''All of this is provided we can prove the plant is cost-effective for our consumers,'' Leathers cautioned. ''At the point this plant stops making sense financially, we will no longer pursue it.''