Negotiations on a water-transfer project between Fujian province and Taiwan’s Kinmen Island have reached a “substantial stage,” and the project is expected to kick off soon, according to mainland authorities.

You Quan, Party Chief of Fujian, is scheduled to visit Kinmen at the end of his five-day visit to Taiwan. There, he will inspect both the water-transfer project and a liquor company.

The project aims at diverting water from Longhu Lake in Fujian’s Jinjiang city to a reservoir on the island. The pipelines will stretch 26 kilometers, with estimated cost of more than 300 million yuan ($48 million), said Fujian’s Taiwan Affairs Office.

Based on a preliminary agreement, Kinmen will take charge of the design, construction and management of the undersea pipelines, while Fujian will build a water-pumping station by the lake and be responsible for the pipelines on land, the office added.

Fujian has attached great importance to project’s negotiation process, which began as early as 1955 when Fujian made preparations for a system of providing water to Kinmen. The talks got off the ground and became serious in 2013 after the two sides ironed out engineering concerns.