The panel's report on the Tsuruga plant is the first to be compiled out of the six facilities the watchdog has decided to inspect following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
"We have reached the evaluation that the D-1 area of crushed rock in the premises of the Tsuruga power plant needs to be taken into consideration from the perspective of quake-resistant design, " Kunihiko Shimazaki, deputy chairman of the authority, told reporters during a news conference following a panel meeting where the report was approved.