With the support of a $500,000 grant from BWX Technologies (BWXT), the U.S. Navy, and BlueForge Alliance, the John D. Haynes School of Welding Technology has opened at Mount Vernon High School in Indiana. The welding school offers direct employment opportunities for students from the high school to BWXT’s Nuclear Operations Group, also located in Mount Vernon, Ind. Students can complete their high school degrees and their professional welding testing on a dual track, allowing them to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.

North Carolina-based Curtiss-Wright has entered into an agreement to acquire Ultra Energy, a subsidiary of the U.K.-headquartered Ultra Electronics Holdings. Ultra Energy is a designer and manufacturer of reactor protection systems, neutron monitoring systems, radiation monitoring systems, and temperature and pressure sensors. The $200 million deal is expected to close this year in the third quarter, subject to U.K. regulatory approval.

Nuclear dismantling and decommissioning company APTIM said it is on schedule to wrap up field activities decommissioning the U.S. Navy’s Surface Ship Support Barge (SSSB) by April, with project closure slated for June. The company announced yesterday that its team has completed the demolition of the barge’s former spent fuel water pool, also referred to as the “wet pit,” or the heart of the vessel.

Pate

Zack T. Pate, the former chief executive officer of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) and chair of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), passed away recently at the age of 86. Pate will be remembered for his many important contributions to the global nuclear energy industry, especially regarding nuclear plant performance and safety, as well as his lengthy service in the U.S. Navy. He was a longtime member of the American Nuclear Society.

Navy: Pate was originally from Leesburg, Ga. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and continued to serve with distinction in the navy for 22 years, working on several nuclear submarines and reaching the rank of captain. He was executive officer of the USS Thomas Jefferson and commander of the USS Sunfish.

Towed from its home in Newport News, Va., the U.S. Navy’s Surface Ship Support Barge has arrived in Mobile, Ala., for decommissioning, Advance Local Alabama reported on June 1. The 268-foot-long barge operated from 1964 to 2016, supporting the Navy's nuclear vessel refueling and functioning like a spent fuel pool at a commercial nuclear power plant.