An Israeli power plant. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – One of the largest power plants of the Israel Electrical Corporation (IEC), the Rutenberg Power Station in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, has recently appointed its first female director.

“Work in the power plant is dependent on professional ability and on amongst the world’s leading complex technologies, and I am excited about the task and the huge challenge. They say that I’m very task-oriented, and I happily accept that description. The tasks before me are challenging,” said 47-year-old Rinat Avrahami Karniel from Kibbutz Lahav in southern Israel, 20 kilometers north of Beersheba, Yediot Achronot reported on Wednesday.

Avrahami Karniel has been working for the IEC for 20 years in various positions. More recently she worked as the operating engineer and interim director at the Ramat Hovav site near Beersheba.

The Rutenberg Power Station, powered by coal, is Israel’s newest thermal power station and operates at almost twenty percent capacity.

IEC CEO Ofer Bloch said that Karniel’s gender had nothing to do with her hiring.

“Rinat was appointed as power plant director not because she is a woman, but because of her skills, experience and abilities. That said, integrating women into senior management is one of the goals set by the corporation’s board of directors and management. Rinat’s appointment is a significant step for women working in the Israel Electric Corporation and in Israeli society,” Block said.