This site is independent of Sutton Council and SDEN Ltd. It is not operated, funded or approved by either.
SDEN Facts

Checking what was said about SDEN against the published documents

What SDEN said v what happened

Each entry quotes or closely paraphrases a public statement or forecast and then records what a later document shows. A forecast that was not met is not necessarily a wrong forecast; we record the gap and let you judge.

Right of reply. SDEN and the Council are invited to send corrections or comments on any entry; we will publish them alongside. See Corrections.

Two statements are described as not matching the facts: P-008 (a forecast completion date that was not met) and P-012 (a present-tense statement on the SDEN website that does not match the Council's own plan). We say this only because the two documents are quoted side by side and you can compare them.

P-001 Mar 2015
What was said (S11 CIPFA App B, PDF p12)
Outline Business Case showed an IRR of 9.04% and cumulative cashflow of £1.54m (CIPFA notes IRR excluded interest and principal repayment).
Target
Not stated in text reviewed
What later documents record
CIPFA (2021): model assumptions such as 725 to 800 dwellings and reliance on RHI ‘not prudent’; SDEN ‘will require further financial support from Sutton Council’. Accounts: loss £76,753 (2023/24), £100,568 (2024/25); owes council £2,457,645.
Status
Partly delivered / mixed Verified

Sources: S11, S2

P-002 2015–2017
What was said (S11 CIPFA App B, PDF p14)
725 homes completed by 2020 (2015); revised model: 800 homes completed by 2022 (2017).
Target
2020 / 2022
What later documents record
Full build-out/adoption of heating interface units completed summer/July 2023 (company plan). Brochure states 805 homes served.
Status
Partly delivered / mixed Likely

Sources: S11, S12, S3

P-003 2017
What was said (S11 CIPFA App B, PDF p14, p19)
Model included an 80-place care home from 2019 at 12,000 kWh per unit.
Target
2019
What later documents record
Outline planning approval changed use to assisted living (C2) in Sept 2016; CIPFA says this was not recognised in the model or brought to KPMG's attention; CIPFA judged the 12,000 kWh rate still reasonable. No evidence found that a care home/assisted living scheme has been built or connected.
Status
Not delivered (as at date shown) Likely

Sources: S11

P-004 2017
What was said (S11 CIPFA App B, PDF p5, p14, p29)
Renewable Heat Incentive income of £52,800 a year (up from £21,219 in 2015 model).
Target
Annual from commissioning
What later documents record
CIPFA: scheme no longer eligible; assumption ‘not prudent’; without RHI SDEN needs substantially more council support.
Status
Not delivered (as at date shown) Verified

Sources: S11

P-005 5 Feb 2019
What was said (S9 SSB report 5 Feb 2019, PDF p2 (para 3.4, 4.1))
Extend network about 700 m to the Lavenders (c460 dwellings, indicative capital cost £1.2m); Clarion needed contracts signed before end of March 2019.
Target
31 Mar 2019
What later documents record
No supply agreement signed as of Mar 2026; connection forecast ‘from mid 2027’. Scheme now c348 properties, about 600 m (press) and circa £2m (DESNZ).
Status
Not delivered (as at date shown) Verified

Sources: S19, S3, S9

P-006 Mar 2025
What was said (S7, Phase 2 section)
Full planning application for Lavenders expected Q1 2025; heating and hot water supply to Lavenders mid 2026; Heads of Terms agreed.
Target
Q1 2025 / mid 2026
What later documents record
Mar 2026 plan: planning application still to be submitted after design review; supply agreement not final; connection forecast ‘from mid 2027’.
Status
Not delivered (as at date shown) Verified

Sources: S3, S7

P-007 Q4 2024
What was said (S19, Lavenders entry)
FID 2024, construction start 2024, initial heat on 2025; construction about one year; extension ‘costing circa £2M’; sale of 2.5 GWh bulk heat.
Target
2025
What later documents record
As P-006: not under construction as of Mar 2026.
Status
Not delivered (as at date shown) Verified

Sources: S19, S3

P-008 Feb 2025
What was said (S12 brochure, p1)
‘Further expansion to an additional 348 residential properties is forecasted to complete before the end of 2025.’
Target
31 Dec 2025
What later documents record
Not met. The Council's March 2026 plan forecasts the Lavenders connection from mid 2027.
Status
Statement did not match later facts Verified

Sources: S12, S3

P-009 Feb 2025
What was said (S12 brochure, p2)
‘Through a robust back-up system... 100% availability of heat to the site 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.’
Target
Ongoing
What later documents record
Company reports 99.99% availability in 2025 and one outage on 14 Nov 2025 (about 4h15m, 1:30–5:45am). The Sutton Guardian (Dec 2023) reported an outage on 6 Dec 2023 as the 30th on the network since 2021.
Status
Statement does not match SDEN's own data (literal reading) Likely

Sources: S12, S15, S3

P-010 Feb 2025
What was said (S12 brochure, p3)
Heat ‘is 80% less than gas fired boilers and 50% less than ASHP’; gas CHP ‘expected’ to be carbon positive within 5 years.
Target
n/a
What later documents record
No independent calculation seen. Business plan projects 988 tCO2/yr saving from July 2023 at NMQ and up to 15,000 t/yr if full potential realised. Current heat is landfill gas engines with gas back-up; ERF connection forecast 1 Apr 2027.
Status
Cannot be checked yet Unverified

Sources: S12, S3, S6

P-011 Feb 2025
What was said (S12 brochure, p2)
‘SDEN has an exclusive heat purchase agreement with Viridor... This is the primary heat source for the network expansion.’
Target
ERF heat from 1 Apr 2027
What later documents record
HPA with Viridor for up to 15 MW is confirmed in council and DESNZ documents. Present primary source is landfill-gas engines; ERF go-live forecast 1 Apr 2027; a GHNF top-up (£498,614, applied 23 Jan 2026) is for connection works.
Status
Not yet due / outcome pending Verified

Sources: S12, S19, S3, S4

P-012 Undated (page accessed 24 Oct 2026)
What was said (S18 website, home page, ‘Why use a DEN’)
‘Every house and flat on the decentralised energy network receives hot water directly from the new energy recovery facility.’
Target
Present tense
What later documents record
Council business plan: primary heat today is landfill-gas engines at Beddington with on-site gas boilers as back-up; ERF connection forecast 1 Apr 2027.
Status
Statement did not match later facts Verified

Sources: S18, S3

P-013 Feb 2025
What was said (S12 brochure, p4)
‘Competitive pricing’; ‘well protected from the volatility of the wholesale gas market’; SDEN ‘has been able to protect its customers from higher energy prices’ in the recent energy crisis.
Target
Ongoing
What later documents record
2026/27 tariff: average 2-bed £750.02 vs domestic gas comparator £770.81 (about 2.7% lower), SDEN's own method (avoided-cost parity). An error left the Apr–Dec 2025 tariff increase unapplied (average undercharge £25–£35), reported to Ofgem. Whether prices during 2022–23 were protected: not checked.
Status
Partly delivered / mixed Unverified

Sources: S12, S4

P-014 Feb 2025
What was said (S12 brochure, p2)
‘Heat Network Zoning Regulations will be introduced in 2025’; Ofgem regulation ‘expected to be completed across the next couple of years’; Sutton ‘deemed a Heat Network Priority Area’.
Target
2025
What later documents record
Ofgem regulation went live 27 Jan 2026 (existing operators register by 26 Jan 2027). ‘Priority Area’ designation: no source found.
Status
Partly delivered / mixed Unverified

Sources: S12, S22, S6

P-015 Feb 2025
What was said (S12 brochure, p2–4)
London Cancer Hub connection ‘is excitingly a realistic opportunity’; route via a cluster of commercial properties in Carshalton to LCH; SDEN to ‘design, finance and build 100% of the primary heat network infrastructure’.
Target
Not stated
What later documents record
LCH and NHS connections ‘still being evaluated’ and excluded from the financial forecast. Council forecast construction costs ‘in excess of £50M’ for multiple large connections. Stakeholders seek heat from 2029. No source found for the Carshalton commercial cluster.
Status
Not yet due / outcome pending Verified

Sources: S12, S3, S6

P-016 Nov 2021
What was said (S11 CIPFA App B, PDF p30–31)
For further phases adopt the HM Treasury ‘five case’ business case model; strengthen scrutiny; new business plan by Jan 2022; strategic options by Mar 2022.
Target
Dec 2021 – Mar 2022
What later documents record
Lavenders business case in Treasury five-case format (Jan 2025 requisition report). Other recommendations not individually assessed.
Status
Partly delivered / mixed Likely

Sources: S11, S8

P-017 10 Mar 2026
What was said (S3, finance section)
Forecast losses £10k (2026/27), £20k (2027/28), £10k (2028/29); loans repaid by 2050/51; Lavenders income in 2027/28.
Target
2026–2029
What later documents record
Pending.
Status
Not yet due / outcome pending Verified

Sources: S3, S4

P-018 Nov 2025
What was said (S4, Hermetica Black paragraph)
Appoint Hermetica Black to seek an investment partner so large expansion is funded externally (council wishes to de-risk).
Target
Partner in place before large connections
What later documents record
Procurement approved; no partner announced in documents reviewed. Fee reported as £120,000 by Inside Croydon (2 Jun 2026) (not found in the council document reviewed).
Status
Not yet due / outcome pending Likely

Sources: S25, S4

This site is independent of Sutton Council and SDEN Ltd. It is not operated, funded or approved by either.