They weren't asking for final approval at an earlier stage. They were just asking for feedback along the way. That way they wouldn't have to guess whether their

They weren't asking for final approval at an earlier stage. They were just asking for feedback along the way. That way they wouldn't have to guess whether their basic idea had a chance, and they could make changes to address concerns before spending hundreds of millions nailing down the details on something the NRC could have told them it considered fundamentally flawed. It would also help them with investors, when they could show favorable early feedback.