It was constructed by Perak River Hydro-Electric Power Company Ltd and completed in 1930.

[1][2] The scheme was designed by consulting engineers Rendel, Palmer & Tritton of London and Vattenbyggnadsbyran (VBB) of Stockholm, Sweden.

[3] It was the first major hydroelectric dam and power station in Malaysia.

It was preceded by two stations on Malaya's rivers; the 800kw Ulu Gombak station in Selangor (1905) that was used to provide Kuala Lumpur's first electricity, and the Sungei Besi Tin Mines Ltd scheme at Ulu Langat that was purchased by FMS Electrical Department in 1929.

[4] Between them, the stations supplied power to Kinta Valley's tin mining industry and associated settlements.