The Renala Khurd power house is a small brick hydropower station built across the Lower Bari Doab Canal in Okara district, opened on 22 March 1925 by the engineer and philanthropist Sir Ganga Ram. It is often described as the first hydropower station in the subcontinent, and it is still run by WAPDA. It sits about 116 km from Lahore, on the Grand Trunk Road, which makes it a short stop for anyone interested in engineering history, not a full day out.
This guide covers why it was built, what is inside, how to reach it and the main caveat: it is a working government facility, and we found no published visitor arrangements.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Location | Renala Khurd, Okara district |
| From Lahore | About 116 km; about 18 km from Okara city |
| Opened | 22 March 1925 (construction began 1922) |
| Capacity | 5 units, 1.1 MW installed |
| Owner | WAPDA |
| Visitor access | No published arrangements; ask first |
What is the Renala Khurd power house?
The plant takes its water from the Lower Bari Doab Canal, which runs through here, and generates power as the canal drops. Wikipedia lists five turbines of 22 kW each in its station table, with a combined installed capacity of 1.1 MW and annual generation of about 3.6 GWh. That is tiny by modern standards.
It is also known as the Ganga Ram Powerhouse. Wikipedia gives the construction start as 1922.
Why did Ganga Ram build it?
The power was not mainly meant for lighting. According to writer Salman Rashid's account, the station was built to drive three irrigation lift pumps that raise the canal water by several metres to reach land higher than the canal. That land was about 59,000 acres of barren, brackish ground, and one source describes Ganga Ram taking a government lease of 50,000 acres in the Montgomery district, now Sahiwal and Okara, and turning it into farmland at his own cost. Rashid writes that the station's power at first lit only the sub-engineer's residence and ran the pumps.
Ganga Ram (1851 to 1927) is better known in Lahore for buildings and hospitals, including the General Post Office, Lahore Museum, Aitchison College and Ganga Ram Hospital, and for planning Model Town. Renala is the less famous half of his career, the engineering and farming side.
What is inside?
Rashid visited and wrote about the plant in 2013. He describes a neat brick building straddling the silt-brown canal, with square corner columns and shallow arches. Inside were five English Electric generators with David Brown gearboxes, driven by turbines made by Vickers of Barrow-in-Furness, and old gauges and tachometers. Four of the five generators were running at the time, and the plant had been connected to the WAPDA grid. He also reports that photography was restricted.
That account is more than a decade old, so treat the details as history and not as a description of what you will find today. Equipment may have been replaced or retired, and rules on entry may have changed.
Can you visit?
This is the honest answer: possibly the outside, probably not the inside. WAPDA runs the station, and we found no published tour times, permission process or fee. Rashid's account of restricted photography suggests that security staff will want to know who you are and why you are there.
If you go:
- Do not walk into the plant uninvited. Ask at the gate, politely, and accept the answer.
- Ask before photographing the building or the canal structures.
- Carry your CNIC. Foreign nationals should carry a passport and expect more questions.
- Treat it as a roadside stop, probably 30 to 45 minutes, in combination with other things on the route.
If you want certainty, ask WAPDA's regional office in advance, as no one else can promise you access.
Getting there
Renala Khurd lies on the GT Road and the Lahore to Karachi railway line, about 18 km from Okara city and 116 km from Lahore. We have a guide to day trips from Lahore if you want to combine it with something else on the same road.
The canal bank roads around Renala are working irrigation roads. Ask locally before driving along them, and do not assume they are open to visitors.
Is it worth going?
If you are interested in engineering, irrigation or the colonial-era canal colonies, yes, as a short stop with realistic expectations. The story is better than the visit: a hundred-year-old plant that still feeds the grid, built by a man who then handed his private irrigation scheme to the government on ordinary water rates.
If you want a sightseeing destination with facilities, a museum or a guided tour, no. Better to visit Lahore's Ganga Ram buildings, which are open to the public in ordinary ways, and treat Renala as a footnote for the road.
Frequently asked questions
Is Renala Khurd the first hydropower station in Pakistan?
It is widely described as the first hydropower station in the subcontinent, opened in 1925. Wikipedia lists it as Pakistan's first.
Is the Renala power house still working?
Wikipedia lists it as operational under WAPDA. A 2013 account found four of the five generators running, so check current status if it matters to you.
How far is Renala Khurd from Lahore?
About 116 km by road, and about 18 km from Okara city.
Can tourists go inside?
We found no published arrangements for visitors. It is a WAPDA facility, so permission would need to come from them, and photography has been restricted.
Who was Sir Ganga Ram?
A Punjabi civil engineer and philanthropist, born in 1851, who designed major Lahore buildings and built the Renala power house. He died in London in 1927.
