Quick Takeaway for Aspirants: Backed by a financial outlay of ₹19,744 crore, the National Green Hydrogen Mission targets producing at least 5 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) of green hydrogen per annum by 2030. The mission deploys the SIGHT financial incentive scheme for domestic electrolyzer manufacturing and fuel production, designates Kandla, Paradip, and Tuticorin as green ammonia export hubs, and mandates strict carbon intensity standards (< 2 kg CO2 eq/kg H2).
Mission Targets, SIGHT Scheme & Decarbonization Scope
Implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and SECI, the mission targets deep decarbonization across hard-to-abate industrial sectors (petroleum refining, nitrogenous fertilizers, steel manufacturing, and heavy transport). The scheme integrates 125 GW of associated renewable energy capacity additions and 25-year waivers on inter-state electricity transmission charges.
30 High-Yield Practice MCQs with Hidden Answers & Explanations
Master hydrogen color classifications (Green, Blue, Grey, Pink, White), electrolyzer technologies (Alkaline, PEM, SOEC), SIGHT tender allocations, and green ammonia export logistics with these 30 practice questions.
Q1. What was the total financial budget approved by the Union Cabinet for the National Green Hydrogen Mission?
- (A) ₹10,000 crore
- (B) ₹19,744 crore
- (C) ₹30,000 crore
- (D) ₹50,000 crore
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) ₹19,744 crore
The Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission in January 2023 with an initial outlay of ₹19,744 crore.
Q2. What is the target green hydrogen production capacity per annum set by India to be achieved by the year 2030?
- (A) 1 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT)
- (B) 5 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) per annum
- (C) 10 MMT per annum
- (D) 20 MMT per annum
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) 5 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) per annum
The mission targets at least 5 MMT of green hydrogen production annually, supported by an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW.
Q3. What does the financial incentive sub-scheme ‘SIGHT' stand for under the National Green Hydrogen Mission?
- (A) Solar Infrastructure for Green Hydrogen Trade
- (B) Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition
- (C) Sovereign Industrial Green Hydrogen Technology
- (D) State Incentives for Green Hydrogen Translocation
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition
With an allocation of ₹17,490 crore, SIGHT funds two financial incentive mechanisms: manufacturing of electrolyzers (₹4,440 cr) and production of green hydrogen (₹13,050 cr).
Q4. How is ‘Green Hydrogen' fundamentally produced compared to conventional hydrogen?
- (A) By burning coal in closed chambers
- (B) By splitting water (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis powered entirely by renewable electricity (solar, wind, or hydro)
- (C) By refining petroleum naphtha
- (D) By cracking natural gas with steam
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) By splitting water (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis powered entirely by renewable electricity (solar, wind, or hydro)
Green hydrogen produces zero greenhouse gas emissions at the point of production, using pure water and clean renewable electricity.
Q5. What color label is given to hydrogen produced from natural gas through Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) where the resulting CO2 emissions are released into the atmosphere?
- (A) Green Hydrogen
- (B) Grey Hydrogen
- (C) Blue Hydrogen
- (D) Brown Hydrogen
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Grey Hydrogen
Grey hydrogen is the most common commercial hydrogen today, emitting 9 to 12 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of hydrogen produced.
Q6. What color label is given to hydrogen produced from fossil natural gas where the carbon emissions are captured and permanently stored using Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)?
- (A) Turquoise Hydrogen
- (B) Blue Hydrogen
- (C) Pink Hydrogen
- (D) White Hydrogen
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Blue Hydrogen
Blue hydrogen acts as a low-carbon transitional fuel by capturing 85%–95% of byproduct CO2 and storing it in underground geological formations.
Q7. What color label is assigned to hydrogen produced via the electrolysis of water powered by nuclear power plants?
- (A) Yellow Hydrogen
- (B) Pink / Red / Purple Hydrogen
- (C) Black Hydrogen
- (D) Green Hydrogen
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Pink / Red / Purple Hydrogen
Hydrogen generated through nuclear-powered electrolysis is designated Pink hydrogen, utilizing zero-carbon thermal and electrical energy from nuclear reactors.
Q8. What color label is given to naturally occurring geological hydrogen deposits trapped in underground rock strata discovered in nature?
- (A) White Hydrogen (or Gold Hydrogen)
- (B) Grey Hydrogen
- (C) Brown Hydrogen
- (D) Green Hydrogen
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (A) White Hydrogen (or Gold Hydrogen)
White hydrogen refers to naturally occurring native hydrogen gas reserves generated by deep geothermal water-rock reactions.
Q9. What is the maximum carbon emission threshold defined in India's official National Green Hydrogen Standard to qualify as ‘Green'?
- (A) Zero emissions strictly
- (B) Not more than 2 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of H2 produced (well-to-gate)
- (C) 5 kg CO2 per kg H2
- (D) 10 kg CO2 per kg H2
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Not more than 2 kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of H2 produced (well-to-gate)
Notified by MNRE in August 2023, the standard sets a strict 12-month average limit of 2 kg CO2 equivalent per kilogram of hydrogen produced.
Q10. What device splits water molecules (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen gas using electrical energy?
- (A) Fuel Cell
- (B) Electrolyzer
- (C) Catalytic Converter
- (D) Steam Reformer
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Electrolyzer
Electrolyzers consist of an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte/membrane, producing pure hydrogen gas at the cathode.
Q11. What are the three major commercial electrolyzer technologies deployed in green hydrogen manufacturing?
- (A) Alkaline Electrolyzer, Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Electrolyzer, and Solid Oxide Electrolyzer (SOEC)
- (B) Lead Acid, Lithium Ion, Nickel Cadmium
- (C) Mercury Cell, Diaphragm Cell, Dry Cell
- (D) Direct Combustion, Gasifier, Liquefier
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (A) Alkaline Electrolyzer, Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Electrolyzer, and Solid Oxide Electrolyzer (SOEC)
Alkaline is mature and low-cost; PEM responds dynamically to fluctuating solar/wind power; SOEC operates at high thermal efficiency using steam.
Q12. Which three major maritime ports in India were identified for development as green hydrogen and green ammonia export hubs and bunkering stations?
- (A) Mumbai, Chennai, and Kochi
- (B) Deendayal Port (Kandla, Gujarat), Paradip Port (Odisha), and V.O. Chidambaranar Port (Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu)
- (C) Marmagao, Mangalore, and Visakhapatnam
- (D) Haldia, Ennore, and JNPT
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Deendayal Port (Kandla, Gujarat), Paradip Port (Odisha), and V.O. Chidambaranar Port (Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu)
These three major ports have dedicated land and deep-water berths to handle green ammonia storage, ship bunkering, and international exports.
Q13. Why is Green Hydrogen frequently converted into ‘Green Ammonia' (NH3) for long-distance international maritime export?
- (A) Ammonia is non-flammable
- (B) Liquid hydrogen requires cryogenic cooling to -253°C, whereas ammonia liquefies at a much more manageable -33°C and utilizes existing global fertilizer transport infrastructure
- (C) Ammonia contains no nitrogen
- (D) Ammonia is cheaper than water
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Liquid hydrogen requires cryogenic cooling to -253°C, whereas ammonia liquefies at a much more manageable -33°C and utilizes existing global fertilizer transport infrastructure
Ammonia has a significantly higher volumetric energy density than gaseous hydrogen, making it the practical carrier for shipping clean energy to Europe and Japan.
Q14. Which public sector enterprise under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy conducts auction biddings under the SIGHT programme?
- (A) NTPC Limited
- (B) Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)
- (C) Power Grid Corporation
- (D) Indian Oil Corporation
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)
SECI acts as the implementing agency, conducting competitive e-reverse auctions for electrolyzer manufacturing and green hydrogen supply contracts.
Q15. What is the primary industrial sector in India currently targeted to mandate the blending and replacement of fossil grey hydrogen with green hydrogen?
- (A) Textile spinning mills
- (B) Petroleum Refineries and Nitrogenous Fertilizer (Urea) manufacturing plants
- (C) Automobile assembly plants
- (D) Cement concrete mixing
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Petroleum Refineries and Nitrogenous Fertilizer (Urea) manufacturing plants
Refineries (for desulfurization) and fertilizer plants (for ammonia synthesis) consume virtually all of India's current 5.5 MMT grey hydrogen demand.
Q16. What is ‘Green Steel' in the context of industrial decarbonization?
- (A) Steel painted with green organic dye
- (B) Steel manufactured using Green Hydrogen in Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) shaft furnaces instead of metallurgical coking coal in blast furnaces
- (C) Recycled copper alloy
- (D) Plastic composite rebar
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Steel manufactured using Green Hydrogen in Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) shaft furnaces instead of metallurgical coking coal in blast furnaces
Replacing coking coal with green hydrogen in the reduction of iron ore produces only water vapor (H2O), eliminating the steel industry's massive carbon footprint.
Q17. What major waiver on electricity transmission tariffs was granted by the Ministry of Power for green hydrogen manufacturing projects commissioned before 2030?
- (A) Waiver of 100% Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) wheeling charges for 25 years
- (B) Free coal supply
- (C) Waiver of corporate income tax for 50 years
- (D) Exemption from all electrical safety standards
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (A) Waiver of 100% Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) wheeling charges for 25 years
The 25-year ISTS transmission waiver enables developers to generate cheap solar power in Rajasthan/Gujarat and transmit it to coastal hydrogen plants without interstate grid fees.
Q18. What is the ‘Green Energy Open Access' rules promulgated by the Ministry of Power in 2022 to support green hydrogen developers?
- (A) Reduced the open access transaction limit from 1 MW down to 100 kW, allowing smaller green hydrogen units to purchase renewable power directly from any generator
- (B) Banned private power purchase agreements
- (C) Mandated state utility monopolies
- (D) Abolished power trading exchanges
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (A) Reduced the open access transaction limit from 1 MW down to 100 kW, allowing smaller green hydrogen units to purchase renewable power directly from any generator
Green Open Access democratized clean power access, capping cross-subsidy surcharges and mandating discom approval within 15 days.
Q19. What device operates on the reverse principle of an electrolyzer, combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity with water as the only byproduct?
- (A) Gas turbine
- (B) Fuel Cell (e.g. Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell – PEMFC)
- (C) Lithium-ion battery
- (D) Dynamo
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Fuel Cell (e.g. Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell – PEMFC)
Fuel cells power zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), heavy-haul trucks, and suburban train locomotives.
Q20. What is the name of the hydrogen-powered train project launched by Indian Railways to operate heritage mountain routes on zero emissions?
- (A) Vande Metro
- (B) Hydrogen for Heritage (Hydrogen Vande Metro trains)
- (C) Pawan Express
- (D) Green Rail Mission
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Hydrogen for Heritage (Hydrogen Vande Metro trains)
Indian Railways is retrofitting trains with hydrogen fuel cells to run on iconic UNESCO heritage lines like Kalka-Shimla and Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
Q21. Which leading public sector oil marketing company commissioned India's first commercial green hydrogen plant at its Jorhat refinery in Assam?
- (A) Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL)
- (B) Oil India Limited (OIL)
- (C) Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL)
- (D) Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL)
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Oil India Limited (OIL)
Oil India Limited commissioned a 10 kg/day 99.999% pure green hydrogen pilot plant at its Jorhat Pump Station in Assam using a 500 kW solar array and AEM electrolyzer.
Q22. Where is Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) establishing a commercial green hydrogen production plant at its refinery complex in Uttar Pradesh?
- (A) Mathura Refinery
- (B) Barauni Refinery
- (C) Panipat Refinery
- (D) Guwahati Refinery
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (A) Mathura Refinery
IOCL's Mathura plant produces green hydrogen to desulfurize diesel, situated close to the eco-sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ).
Q23. What does the ‘Levelized Cost of Hydrogen' (LCOH) calculate in project finance?
- (A) The retail price of liquid hydrogen at consumer gas stations
- (B) The net present value of all capital, electricity, water, and operational costs required to produce one kilogram of hydrogen over the plant's lifetime
- (C) The cost of transporting hydrogen by truck
- (D) Government import tariffs on natural gas
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) The net present value of all capital, electricity, water, and operational costs required to produce one kilogram of hydrogen over the plant's lifetime
Electricity costs account for 60%–70% of green hydrogen LCOH; reducing clean power tariffs below ₹2/kWh is key to matching grey hydrogen's $1.5/kg cost.
Q24. What is the density of hydrogen gas at standard atmospheric temperature and pressure compared to air?
- (A) Twice as heavy as air
- (B) The lightest element in the universe, roughly 14 times lighter than air (0.089 g/L)
- (C) Equal to oxygen
- (D) Heavier than carbon dioxide
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) The lightest element in the universe, roughly 14 times lighter than air (0.089 g/L)
Due to its ultra-low density, hydrogen disperses rapidly upwards if leaked, requiring high-pressure compression (350 to 700 bar) for vehicular storage tanks.
Q25. What material is typically used to line high-pressure (Type IV) hydrogen storage cylinders in fuel-cell buses?
- (A) Cast iron pipes
- (B) Polymer liners overwrapped with high-strength carbon fiber composite weave
- (C) Pure copper sheet
- (D) Reinforced concrete
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Polymer liners overwrapped with high-strength carbon fiber composite weave
Type-IV carbon composite tanks withstand extreme internal pressures of 700 bar (10,000 psi) without metal fatigue or hydrogen embrittlement.
Q26. What is ‘Hydrogen Embrittlement' in materials science that poses challenges for natural gas pipeline blending?
- (A) Hydrogen turning into liquid ice
- (B) The phenomenon where atomic hydrogen diffuses into the crystal lattice of metals (such as high-strength steel), causing severe loss of ductility and cracking under stress
- (C) Corrosion caused by acidic rain
- (D) Welding defects caused by air bubbles
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) The phenomenon where atomic hydrogen diffuses into the crystal lattice of metals (such as high-strength steel), causing severe loss of ductility and cracking under stress
Pipeline operators limit hydrogen blending into existing city gas distribution (CGD) networks to 5%–10% to prevent steel pipe cracking.
Q27. Which international initiative co-founded by India and the US promotes global market demand and supply standards for clean hydrogen?
- (A) International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE)
- (B) Clean Energy Ministerial Hydrogen Initiative
- (C) Hydrogen Energy Council
- (D) Both A and B
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (D) Both A and B
India actively participates in IPHE and the CEM Hydrogen Initiative to harmonize international certification standards for green hydrogen exports.
Q28. What is the estimated reduction in fossil fuel imports projected under the National Green Hydrogen Mission by 2030?
- (A) ₹10,000 crore
- (B) Over ₹1 lakh crore ($12 Billion) in cumulative fossil fuel import savings
- (C) ₹20,000 crore
- (D) ₹50,000 crore
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Over ₹1 lakh crore ($12 Billion) in cumulative fossil fuel import savings
By replacing imported natural gas and coking coal, green hydrogen directly bolsters India's macroeconomic balance of payments and energy sovereignty.
Q29. How many liters of demineralized pure water are typically consumed to produce 1 kilogram of green hydrogen via water electrolysis?
- (A) 1 liter
- (B) Approximately 9 to 11 liters of pure water
- (C) 50 liters
- (D) 100 liters
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) Approximately 9 to 11 liters of pure water
Electrolysis chemically requires 9 kg of water per kg of hydrogen produced; coastal plants integrate seawater desalination units to prevent fresh groundwater depletion.
Q30. What is the strategic long-term vision of the National Green Hydrogen Mission for India's role in the global energy transition?
- (A) To become a minor regional consumer of foreign hydrogen
- (B) To establish India as a global manufacturing hub and premier international exporter of Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia, and Electrolyzer technologies by 2030
- (C) To ban all electric vehicle battery production
- (D) To nationalize all private renewable energy power plants
View Answer & Explanation
✓ Correct Answer: (B) To establish India as a global manufacturing hub and premier international exporter of Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia, and Electrolyzer technologies by 2030
Blessed with abundant sunshine, extensive coastlines, and record-low renewable tariffs, India is uniquely positioned to become the world's lowest-cost green hydrogen exporter.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the production target of the National Green Hydrogen Mission by 2030?
The mission targets at least 5 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) of green hydrogen production capacity per annum by 2030, supported by approximately 125 GW of associated renewable energy capacity.
What does the SIGHT programme provide?
The Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) scheme provides capital and production incentives across two financial tracks: domestic manufacturing of electrolyzers (₹4,440 crore) and green hydrogen production (₹13,050 crore).
