This small power plant was part of a company engaged in the extraction of porphyry at various locations in Belgium, an igneous rock formed by the cooling of magma. Due to rather rare magmatic phenomena and tectonic movements in the earth's layers, a particularly hard rock layer formed in this region. This yields a rock with high resistance to erosion, which is moreover virtually chemically impervious.

The company itself, however, started its activities as early as the second half of the 19th century. Initially, quarrying was focused on the production of cobblestones and paving stones. This continued until the end of the Second World War. When the demand for these products declined, they had to look for other applications. Of the 12 quarries, only 4 eventually remained. Approximately 300,000 tonnes of rock are extracted annually from this quarry.