Power connector, and electrical connection element and arc suppression method therefor

An electrical connection element is for a power connector. The power connector has an electrical component having a number of first electrical mating members. The electrical connection element includes a housing having a number of second electrical mating members structured to be electrically connected to the number of first electrical mating members, a contact assembly structured to move between an OPEN position and a CLOSED position, the contact assembly including a number of sets of separable contacts each structured to be electrically connected to at least one of the number of second electrical mating members, and an arc suppression system for redirecting current away from at least one of the sets of separable contacts in order to suppress arcing.