Prakash Powdel

Prakash Powdel is a fellow with the Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he supports the program’s energy portfolio, with a particular focus on strengthening U.S.-India cooperation at the subnational level. Previously, Prakash was an associate director at KPMG, where he worked at the intersection of energy infrastructure and public interest programs. He advised development banks, government agencies, and international donors across India and emerging markets in Central and South Asia. In India, he contributed to major initiatives including the revitalization of electricity distribution companies, investment promotion in upstream oil and gas exploration and production, and the deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. Internationally, he has supported energy transition priorities in Kazakhstan, Nepal, and the Maldives, with a focus on retiring aging power assets, enabling investment in solar and energy storage, and advancing e-mobility. His work has helped mobilize multi-million-dollar investments in clean energy infrastructure through project de-risking, strategic partnerships, and aggregated procurement. Prakash has also led studies on emerging applications including electric tractors, solar powered agricultural mechanization, and electric freight. He is particularly interested in advancing low-carbon, affordable, and inclusive growth and brings this perspective to his work as an energy infrastructure practitioner. Prakash holds a postgraduate certificate in data science from the McCombs School of Business and a master’s degree in energy and finance from Great Lakes Institute of Management, India.