As the EU's commitment to renewable energy is projected to grow to 20% of energy generation in the next years, the use of marine renewable energy is increasing. The tidal power potential in Europe is estimated at 10 GW. The Hydroquest tidal turbine prototype was connected to the electrical network in 2019 at the Paimpol-Bréhat test site. This implementation facilitated an investigation on the benthic communities associated with these artificial structures. By systematically scraping different points along a vertical depth gradient after the turbine's dismantlement, the study was able to assess the composition of these communities in very high tidal current environment. A total of 118 taxa were identified, mainly consisting of peracarid crustaceans and decapods. The objective of FLOWATT project is to investigate the benthic communities of the Alderney Race on a wider spatio-temporal scale. The project consists on monitoring benthic communities both prior to construction and during the operational phase. An experimental structure will be deployed by installing panels near the sea-bottom to observe the dynamic of hardbottom communities colonisation with in-situ samples and digital imagery to explore potential variations in structure and functionality resulting from the interaction between the environment and the submerged structures. Tidal turbines effects will be also studied in relation to connectivity and stepping-stone effect on non-indigenous species or climate migrants. Due to the various studies, it would probably be possible to achieve the homogenisation of monitoring protocols to be able to compare the results on a global scale.