The ripples spawned by the $10 billion profit achieved by BHP Billiton for only a half-year operation reached and thrilled the South Australian government, host of the resource giant's Olympics dam expansion plan in the outback part of the state.

With such a large in-take, the SA government is more confident that the giant project will commence early next year, which will transform the uranium, copper and gold mine into one of the world's biggest open cut operations.

SA Minister Kevin Foley, appointed by the Premier's office to handle the Olympic Dam expansion, said on Wednesday that the windfall collected by BHP Billiton should further inspire the firm to invest on the project.

Foley said that the hefty cashflow of BHP will place the company in a very comfortable position for more expansion plans as he noted that the mining giant "is extremely well run, it has the strength of the balance sheet that can carry this project."

He stressed too that such qualities were crucial in handling "the largest mining project ever undertaken in the world."

The state government's optimism appears to stand on solid ground as BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers issued confirmation that the expansion project at Roxby Downs is slated to begin in 2012 as soon as it has secured the approvals coming from federal and state regulators.

Kloppers added that the Olympics Dam undertaking is only part of the company's planned capital investments for the next five years that is estimated to reach an amount of $80 billion.

The BHP head stressed that the company is "in very good shape on knowing what we want to do," adding that "we will be well prepared to consider this project for investment."