How was electricity production restructured?

Electricity production classes were restructured in NACE Rev. 2.1 around whether the energy source is renewable or not. The Spanish statistical institute states the change in its explanatory document: the production classes within Group 35, for electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, were restructured, emphasising whether the energy source is renewable or not. The restructure changes the grouping basis for production. It does not change the section, which remains the supply section, and it does not change the fact that generation, transmission, distribution and trade sit in the same broad area.

Within production, the source of the energy now divides the headings in a way that the old structure did not.

What was restructured, and what was not?

Group 35 covers electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply. The restructure concerns the production classes inside that group. Transmission, distribution and trade headings were not the focus of the change as described by the Spanish institute. The change is therefore a within group restructure, not a move of activities to another section or division. That distinction matters for reading series. A series for the whole of Group 35 can still be read across the change with care, because the group boundary is preserved. A series for a single production class cannot be read across the change without the correspondence table, because the class boundary moved to follow the source distinction. The correspondence table shows, for each old production class, which new production classes receive its activities.

Level	Identifier	What the restructure did
Section	One letter	Unchanged area, supply
Division	Two digits	Unchanged, Division 35
Group	Three digits	Production classes restructured inside the group
Class	Four digits	Source distinction now divides production classes

The table above shows the level at which the change operates. It names no production class, because class level rows must be read in the published correspondence table and the explanatory notes for the classes concerned.

Why does the source distinction matter for statistics?

Statistics on energy supply are used to describe the mix of sources in production, and a classification that does not divide production by source cannot show that mix from the classification alone. By dividing production classes on the source basis, the classification lets published statistics separate renewable production from non renewable production at class level, without a separate breakdown. The change follows the same logic as other restructures in the revision: where a feature of an activity became central to how the economy is described, the classification began to group by that feature. The restructure is a statistical grouping change. It does not set energy policy, grant a licence, or decide eligibility for support. Those matters are held by the authorities applying their own rules.

How are the new production classes checked?

Each new production class has an explanatory note that states what it includes and excludes, and the note states how the source distinction is applied at the boundary. A production activity that uses more than one source, or a plant that changes source over time, sits at a boundary that the note must address. A reader should read the note for each candidate production class, including any cross reference to a neighbouring class, before concluding which heading describes the activity in statistical terms. The correspondence table shows the movement from the old classes. The note shows the scope of the new classes. Neither document determines the entry for a specific business. The entry is confirmed with the national statistical institute or the business register that holds the record.

What is the limit of this guide?

This guide states the grouping change as described by the Spanish statistical institute for its national variant, which follows the European structure at the first four levels. It does not list production class codes or titles, because those must be read in the Eurostat structure and notes for the classes concerned, and a list copied from a secondary summary could misstate a title or a boundary. The guide also does not describe how any particular plant or producer is classified. The classification groups activities for statistics. It does not decide licensing, tax, funding or any other matter for a specific producer. The institute or register that holds the record confirms the entry.

Production inside Group 35 is now divided by energy source, the correspondence table shows the movement of each old production class, and the explanatory note for each new class states its scope.