diff --git a/SAS/TMSS/backend/services/windmill_standstill/lib/windmill_standstill.py b/SAS/TMSS/backend/services/windmill_standstill/lib/windmill_standstill.py
index 97c04b6b15e09caa78a68f8196efb6e333106143..ff113ffb86bb6d86ce63c5ea88d9cae2a15694cf 100644
--- a/SAS/TMSS/backend/services/windmill_standstill/lib/windmill_standstill.py
+++ b/SAS/TMSS/backend/services/windmill_standstill/lib/windmill_standstill.py
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ class TMSSWindmillStandstillEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
         self.client_id = client_id
         self.client_secret = client_secret
         self.access_token_expiration_date = datetime.min
+        self.access_token = None
 
     def start_handling(self):
         self.refresh_access_token()
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ class TMSSWindmillStandstillEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
                                            "client_id": self.client_id,
                                            "client_secret": self.client_secret})
         except Exception as e:
-            logger.error("could not refresh access token: %s", str(e))
+            logger.exception("could not refresh access token: %s", str(e))
 
         try:
             json_response = response.json()
@@ -88,10 +89,11 @@ class TMSSWindmillStandstillEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
             self.access_token_expiration_date = datetime.utcnow() + timedelta(seconds=json_response['expires_in']-10)
             logger.info('new token valid till %s' % self.access_token_expiration_date.isoformat())
         except Exception as e:
-            logger.error("could not refresh access token: http_status_code=%s error: %s", response.status_code, str(e))
+            logger.exception("could not refresh access token: http_status_code=%s error: %s", response.status_code, str(e))
 
     def get_api_path_as_json(self, path):
-        if datetime.utcnow() >= self.access_token_expiration_date:
+        logger.info('fetching %s...', path)
+        if datetime.utcnow() >= self.access_token_expiration_date or self.access_token is None:
             self.refresh_access_token()
         headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer " + self.access_token}
         response = requests.get(self.windmill_api_url + path, headers=headers)
@@ -126,7 +128,6 @@ class TMSSWindmillStandstillEventMessageHandler(TMSSEventMessageHandler):
             path += '?' if path.endswith('/') else '&'
             path += 'till' + scheduled_start_time_before.isoformat()
 
-        logger.info('fetching %s...')
         response = self.get_api_path_as_json(path)
 
         return response['blocks']