To add details from the presidential statement and background

CAIRO, May 17 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday that the New Delta project, which aims to transform a vast area of desert west of the Nile River estuary into agricultural land, includes infrastructure costing 800 billion Egyptian pounds ($15.05 billion).

Sisi made these remarks during the inauguration of the massive agricultural project, which spans 2.3 million acres.

The New Delta project is located in the northwestern region of Egypt, specifically in the new (Rod El Farag - El Dabaa) axis area, and is distinguished by its proximity to sea and air ports such as Alexandria Port, Dekheila Port, Damietta Port, and Sphinx and Borg El Arab Airports.

The project extends geographically to include a desert hinterland that connects several major governorates, namely Beheira, Giza and Matrouh.

The project aims to increase the agricultural area to enhance food security and provide new job and investment opportunities. It includes building water pumping and treatment stations, digging canals and irrigation channels, and establishing storage silos and manufacturing and packaging complexes for agricultural products.

A statement from the Presidency quoted Sisi as saying, "The project is witnessing a concerted effort from all state bodies, with active participation from the private sector, as 150 companies are working on it in agricultural production alone, in addition to hundreds of companies in other activities."

He added that the project provides about two million job opportunities, explaining that they are "sustainable job opportunities, not temporary ones."

(1 US dollar = 53.1500 Egyptian pounds)