China possesses vast and widely distributed oil and gas resources, characterized by significant development potential and rapid growth in their exploitation. However, the exploration and development of unconventional resources such as shale gas and tight oil remain at an early stage. As domestic demand for oil and gas continues to rise, the extraction of deep unconventional resources has consequently become a major focus in national energy engineering. A common practice in unconventional oil and gas production involves large-scale fluid injection into deep geological formations. Such injection disturbs the in-situ stress field and alters the stress state of subsurface faults, which may lead to fault instability, slip, and subsequently induced seismicity. Therefore, evaluating and mitigating such anthropogenic seismic risks has become a critically important issue for achieving safe and sustainable resource development. In recent years, seismic events have been monitored during the production phases of multiple deep energy projects worldwide. Post-earthquake analyses indicate a clear spatiotemporal correlation between these events and fault activation or instability triggered directly by fluid injection. Notable examples include geothermal projects in Pohang, South Korea, and Basel, Switzerland, which were suspended due to significant induced earthquakes. In fact, geological conditions in China's oil and gas fields are often more complex, making it difficult to accurately predict fault slip conditions, specific slip patterns, and displacement, or to determine optimal operational parameters near fault-developed zones. To balance benefits and risks in unconventional resource development, predicting and preventing the associated environmental geological issues and seismic hazards caused by deep energy extraction has become an urgent challenge. This study reviews typical cases of induced seismicity in energy projects globally, with a focus on analyzing the underlying stress conditions and the detailed triggering mechanisms of fault instability and slip at development sites. It systematically summarizes fault slip instability modes, established criteria for induced seismicity, estimated affected ranges, and current magnitude prediction models. The influence of both anthropogenic engineering factors and inherent environmental geological conditions on induced seismic events during development is also thoroughly discussed. Finally, this study summarizes the major unresolved issues and key technical challenges that need to be addressed in current research, and outlines potential future research directions through three primary approaches: numerical simulation, experimental methods, and enhanced field monitoring. The work contributes to a deeper fundamental understanding of human induced seismicity from oil and gas operations, and holds practical implications and considerable engineering value for mitigating or preventing potential seismic hazards.

High-voltage electrical pulse (HVEP) rock-breaking technology is extensively utilized due to its advantages of high energy density, controllable fragmentation zones, and tunable energy output. However, the intricate pore structures within rock masses can significantly affect their electrical and mechanical properties, thereby influencing HVEP performance. To elucidate the mechanisms by which pore structure influences rock-breaking outcomes, this study integrates the finite difference method (FDM) and stochastic propagation model to simulate the electrical breakdown paths. Furthermore, the numerical simulations of HVEP-induced rock fragmentation are conducted using the discrete element method (DEM) based on thermo-mechanical coupling theory. The results demonstrate that the pore structure strongly impacts both the complexity of the breakdown path and the resulting fragmentation efficiency. In non-porous rocks, breakdown paths are primarily governed by rock heterogeneity, resulting in a complex branching structure. In contrast, in porous rocks, breakdown paths are guided by pore spaces, which reduces path complexity. Notably, under constant porosity, pore diameter exerts a nonlinear influence on path complexity. Smaller pore diameters, which correspond to a higher pore density, significantly enhance path complexity. Conversely, as pore diameter increases and the number of pores decreases, path complexity exhibits a ‘rebound’ as the governing mechanism shifts back to inherent rock heterogeneity. Moreover, the pore structure induces stress concentration, promoting fracture initiation and propagation, which enhances rock-breaking performance. Although rocks with small pores exhibit higher breakdown-path complexity, their fragmentation efficiency is lower than that of large-pore rocks. This finding highlights the dominant role of pore-induced stress field alterations. This study provides valuable theoretical guidance for the application of HVEP rock-breaking technology in porous rock fragmentation.