The Pumped Storage Power Plant, Agira Sheuva, is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant that includes a dual-reservoir with a 500-meter altitude difference, the upper one located in Ma'ale Gilboa and the lower one near Kibbutz Reshafim. The gravitational energy produced as water hits the two turbines generates electricity, and then the water is pumped out. The entire system encompasses kilometers of shafts, tunnels, underground caverns, and complex electrical systems.
In August 2018, an accident occurred as a cable was torn while lowering a 2-ton concrete barrel into an 80-meter deep shaft ten meters in diameter. The Rescue One team was called to assess the damage and found the casting mold was completely destroyed. The team was asked to stabilize the barrel, dismantle, and remove the equipment, and bring the project back on line.
Work continued without stop for an entire month deep underground, in extreme conditions of absolute darkness and high humidity. The team planned the disassembly and removal of the destroyed equipment, bringing the parts up to the surface for repair and reassembly.
The project entailed dozens of rope access entries, various types of at height steel cutting, welding, and assembly of all parts and mechanisms while maintaining optimal safety around the clock. After completing the repair, the Rescue One team remained on site to provide a rope rescue unit on standby until the casting was completed to ground level.
With the completion of the project, Rescue One rope access teams completed all final concrete corrections, diamond drilling for lab tests of the shaft walls, and installation of anchor points for ongoing maintenance.
