Аннотация:The system has been developed for initiating and quenching the arc discharges by means of moving apart the initially closed electrodes at a variable speed. The experimental studies of the extensive high-current electric arc discharges were performed in the atmospheric air. By means of optimizing the process of moving apart the electrodes and matching their sizes and shapes, it is possible to increase up to ten times the length of the stably burning high-current arc without using the external magnetic field for its stabilization.