BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) – The New England Coalition is asking state regulators to reconsider their conditional approval of a plan that would allow the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to increase power by 20 percent.

Earlier this month the Public Service Board approved the increase on the condition that the Vernon nuclear plant undergo an independent engineering evaluation by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The board’s decision said the assessment would last about four weeks and require four experts.

But the coalition wants a review similar to one that took place at Maine Yankee in 1996. That evaluation, coalition officials said, lasted six weeks and involved 25 experts.

The coalition also said the cost of decommissioning the plant would increase by $25 million if the power increase or “uprate” takes place.

Also in the motion for reconsideration is the allegation that Entergy Nuclear, the owner of Vermont Yankee, did not tell the board about the history of plants that had tried to increase power but did not do so.

“Entergy has a legal obligation to bring to the board’s attention any information that has a bearing on hearing testimony,” said Peter Alexander, the coalition’s executive director.

The coalition said power increases like the one Entergy is proposing have only been done since 2001.

AP-ES-03-26-04 0906EST