The Chinese government has signed a deal with Sudan, an African country with questionable human rights history, to help it build a nuclear power plant for “peaceful use”, Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

This will be the first nuclear energy station for Sudan that could help the North-Eastern African nation meet its growing energy need, while China steps towards increasing its technological footprint on the continent.

Demand for energy in the African country is expected to reach 8,500 megawatts by 2031. It currently has a capacity of about 3,025 megawatts.

The deal was signed during a three day visit by China’s director of National Energy Administration, Nur Bekri.

It also addressed how to overcome challenges facing other power projects financed by the Asian country, including Al-Fula power station and the Kordofan power line.

Bloomberg reported that the reactor, which is expected to have a power capacity of little over 3,000 megawatts, would be built by the China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC).

Sudan plans to start building its first nuclear power plant, that will include two 600 megawatt pressurized water reactors, in 2021 and start commercial operation by 2027, a presentation by the country to the International Atomic Energy Agency last year showed.

China is on an aggressive plan to expand its atomic technology as part of a global lean energy race and is looking to export at least 30 homegrown nuclear units by 2030, CNNC said in March.

The expansion plan includes increasing nuclear plant in Africa.

Currently, only two countries on the continent, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have a nuclear plants, but many other countries on the continent are in the grip of a nuclear fad, with the hope that owning a reactor will bring international prestige.